JERUSALEM, ISRAEL
ISRAELI forces shot and killed a Palestinian girl (16) during what it claimed was a firefight with militants during a raid in the city of Jenin on Sunday, authorities said, as a wave of violence in the occupied West Bank continued.
An Israeli military statement claimed soldiers hit the girl unintentionally as they returned fire at armed gunmen on a rooftop.
It said it appeared the girl had been on the roof of one of the houses near the gunmen.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said the girl, whom he named as Jana Zakarneh, was killed “in cold blood” by an Israeli sniper and said Israel must be held accountable.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he expressed sorrow over the girl’s death and sent condolences to her family.
Israel would continue to investigate the incident, he claimed.
Jenin, in the northern West Bank, houses a sprawling refugee camp. Along with the nearby city of Nablus, it’s been at the centre of much of the violence in the West Bank this year. – REUTERS
