An Al Jazeera reporter was killed by Israeli army gunfire in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Qatar-based news channel said, but the military said she may have been shot by Palestinians as they clashed with its troops.

One Palestinian official said Shireen Abu Akleh had been “assassinated” by Israeli forces while reporting on a raid in the city of Jenin, which has seen intensified army raids in recent weeks as violence has surged.

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed Abu Akleh’s death and said a second reporter, Ali Samodi, had been wounded.

In a statement, the military said its troops had shot back after coming under “massive fire” in Jenin and that “there is a possibility, now being looked into, that reporters were hit - possibly by shots fired by Palestinian gunmen”.