A proper, transparent and swift investigation is needed over the killing of Al-Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh as she covered an Israeli army raid, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said Wednesday.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Aqla's killing and offer my condolences to her family and colleagues," Altun wrote on Twitter.

"It is unacceptable for journalists, who serve the public and the truth, to be targeted under any circumstances," he said.

News of Shireen Abu Akleh's death reverberated across the region. The 51-year-old journalist became a household name synonymous with Al-Jazeera’s coverage of life under occupation during her more than two decades reporting in the Palestinian territories, including during the second intifada, or uprising, that killed thousands on both sides, most of them Palestinians.

Abu Akleh's coverage of the harsh realities of Israel’s military occupation was inextricably linked with her own experiences as a Palestinian journalist on the front lines. Her death underscores the heavy price the conflict continues to exact on Palestinians, regardless of their role as journalists.