Beijing: China supports a thorough, fair and unbiased investigation into the murder of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by an Israeli soldier in the West Bank, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday, a year after the reporter was killed.

Last December, the Al Jazeera broadcaster said that it had submitted a formal request to the International Criminal Court to investigate Abu Akleh's murder. According to evidence collected by the broadcaster's lawyers, there were no clashes in the area where the journalist was located, except for a shooting by the Israeli military directed specifically at Abu Akleh.

"China supports a thorough, transparent, fair and unbiased investigation, hoping that this case will be justly considered in accordance with the law," the diplomat said when asked to comment on Beijing's position on Abu Akleh's death.

Wang also stated that Beijing is concerned over a recent escalation between Israel and Palestine, urging the two sides to show restraint.

The 51-year-old Palestinian-American journalist was shot in the head on May 11, 2022, during an Israeli raid in the West Bank. Reporters on the scene said they were targeted by Israeli snipers when the group was alone in the streets of the Palestinian city of Jenin and were clearly identifiable as being members of the press.

Earlier in the week, the Israel Defense Forces conducted strikes on the Gaza Strip against Islamist movement Islamic Jihad targets in the area, killing 13 people. The movement vowed to respond, saying that Israel would "pay a price for its crime."

(With UNI/Sputnik inputs)