Jerusalem
CNN
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The Israeli army confirmed on Monday that Israeli forces shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian girl, Jana Zakarneh. She said her 16-year-old Palestinian girl had died in an “unintentional” Israeli fire aimed at armed militants. ”
An Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) statement said: “Initial investigations revealed that the murdered girl was hit by unintentional gunfire aimed at an armed gunman on the roof of the area where the troops were fired. “apparently.
“The IDF and its commanders are in a combat environment and regret the harm they caused to uninvolved civilians, including those in close proximity to armed terrorists during the shootout,” the statement continued.
Jana’s uncle Majed Zakarneh told CNN on Monday that his niece “was shot with four bullets, two in the face, one in the neck and one in the shoulder.”
The Israeli army “was firing heavily everywhere. Yana was inside the house with her family and when she heard people screaming, she went to the roof to see what was going on.” ‘said Zakharneh.
“Twenty minutes after the soldiers left the neighborhood, her father went looking for her…he found her lying on the floor with a bloodied face,” Zakalne said. .
Before the IDF acknowledged responsibility, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he wanted to express “sadness over her death, as with the death of anyone not involved in terrorism”.
Palestinian official news agency WAFA said two more Palestinians were injured and three were arrested during the raid. The IDF confirmed that the three had been arrested on “suspected involvement in terrorism”.
A general strike was declared in Jenin on Monday following Jana’s killing, WAFA said, adding that “hundreds of people” took to the streets to protest the “ongoing Israeli aggression”.
In a statement on Monday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayeh called on Virginia Gamba, UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, to “investigate the crimes of the occupation and blacklist Israel”. . Gamba is currently visiting the West Bank and Gaza.
“The murder of a child named Jana Majdi Zakarneh adds to the horrific murder of children that the occupying forces continue to commit,” Shtayyeh said.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Zakarneh’s death brings the total number of Palestinians killed so far in the occupied West Bank in 2022 to 166, a level not seen in more than a decade. Israel said most of the deaths were in violent engagements with militants or soldiers. But human rights groups claim bystanders were also killed.
Israel has also suffered the highest death toll from Palestinian attacks this year in nearly two decades, with 31 dead.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it had arrested three people in the attack.
“Security forces have arrested three wanted persons suspected of involvement in terrorism,” the statement said.
The IDF said the suspect threw explosives and opened fire on the IDF soldiers, who responded with “live ammunition”. No IDF injuries were reported.
A 16-year-old boy was shot dead by Israeli forces in Ramallah on Thursday, according to a separate Palestinian Health Ministry statement last week.
“16-year-old Al-Rimawi received two gunshot wounds through his back, the first exiting his chest and the second exiting his abdomen,” the statement said.
In a statement, the IDF said it “fired at suspects” and “endangered the lives of passers-by” after Israeli soldiers threw stones and paint bottles at cars near the town of Abaad in Ramallah. I was exposed to it,” he said.