The Israeli army admitted on Monday to having killed, but “inadvertently”, a Palestinian teenager, during a raid in Jenin, an area of the occupied West Bank at the heart of violence in recent months.
Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported the death of 16-year-old Jana Zakarna from a bullet to the head fired by Israeli forces during a raid on the Jenin camp, which led to exchanges of fire with local fighters. .
Found dead on the roof of her house
And Hussein al-Sheikh, tenor of the Palestinian Authority, had called for an “immediate” investigation into the “execution” of the teenager whose funeral gathered hundreds of people during the day.
“After a preliminary investigation, we have come to the conclusion that the girl was killed by unintentional shooting by soldiers who attacked armed men on a roof in this area,” the Israeli army said in a statement.
According to her family, the teenager was on the roof of her house during the exchange of fire and was found dead after the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
“She went up (to the roof) to look for her cat and never came back. Then her brother went up to look for her, opened the door and found Jana lying here on her back,” Yasser Mahmoud told Zakarna, 28, the teenager’s uncle. . “They shot him in the head, in her face and twice in the chest,” she added.
Two more Palestinians injured
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, for his part, said “we regret his death, like all the deaths of people not involved in terrorism.”
Two other Palestinians were also injured during the raid, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
According to the Israeli army, the suspects “threw explosives and fired heavily at the soldiers” during an operation that led to the arrest of three suspects. “The soldiers responded with live fire towards the armed suspects,” the army added.
More than 2,000 raids in the West Bank since spring
Since a wave of anti-Israel attacks last March and April, Israeli forces have carried out more than 2,000 raids into the occupied West Bank, operations that often lead to clashes with the Palestinian population or with fighters.
In all, at least 150 Palestinians and 26 Israelis have been killed since the beginning of the year in the West Bank, Israel and Jerusalem. Israel has also occupied East Jerusalem since 1967.
This violence was concentrated in the areas of Nablus and Jenin, strongholds of the Palestinian armed factions.
More than 40 Palestinians have been killed during Israeli operations this year in the Jenin area alone, including many fighters but also star Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Source: BFM TV
