Israeli forces kill 2-year-old Palestinian girl in occupied West Bank raid

Another Palestinian died from injuries after being shot by Israeli forces in a separate incident in Balata refugee camp.

Israeli forces have shot and killed a two-year-old Palestinian girl as they step up large-scale military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to health officials.

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said Laila al-Khatib died of “critical wounds” after being shot in the head on Saturday by Israeli forces in the Martyrs’ Triangle area of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.

Media reports said the girl’s pregnant mother was also lightly wounded in the attack.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the incident and that its troops opened fire on a building after receiving intelligence on the presence of Palestinian fighters.

Speaking to journalists on Sunday, al-Khatib’s grandmother said the family was having dinner when the incident took place.

“There was gunfire, and the windows were breaking. When the girls heard the gunfire, they started running inside. Her [al-Khatib’s] mother was feeding her [when] she got a bullet from the sniper in her head,” she said, adding that the girl was her mother’s only child.

The Israeli army has in recent years carried out multiple raids and incursions in Jenin, long seen as a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Its latest operation began only a day after a ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip, where some 15 months of Israeli attacks have killed more than 47,000 Palestinians.

Separately on Saturday, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Ahmad Mahmoud Hashash, 42, also died of his wounds on Saturday after being shot by Israeli forces during a raid on Balata refugee camp in the central West Bank.

The ongoing military operation in Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp has killed at least 14 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. Dozens have been wounded while thousands have been forced from their homes.

Before the latest Israeli attacks began on Monday, the security forces of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, carried out a weeks-long operation to reassert control in Jenin.

In addition to the loss of life, the Israeli army raids have caused widespread destruction, including the bulldozing of key roads and the demolition of houses.

Breaking the Silence, a group of former Israeli soldiers calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, said last week that Jenin faced being “Gazafied” by the Israeli military, “complete with air strikes and destruction of infrastructure”.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation is aimed at eradicating “terrorism”.

Source

:

Al Jazeera and news agencies

Read More

  • Related Posts

    Israeli soldiers used 80-year-old Palestinian as Gaza human shield: Report

    Israeli army forced elderly man to scout buildings with an explosive cord tied around his neck, before he was later shot dead along with his wife. The Israeli military forced…

    Israeli air strike kills six in eastern Lebanon amid fragile ceasefire

    Israeli drone attack targets the Shaara area in eastern Bekaa region. An Israeli air raid has killed six people and wounded two in eastern Lebanon amid a fragile ceasefire between…

    You Missed

    Social-climbing ‘property guru’ Sasha promised his investors the world. But behind his lavish lifestyle and jet-setting marriage was a trail of lost millions. At long last, his empire is crumbling

    Social-climbing ‘property guru’ Sasha promised his investors the world. But behind his lavish lifestyle and jet-setting marriage was a trail of lost millions. At long last, his empire is crumbling

    British aid worker has arm and leg amputated after Russian drone attack while he was evacuating civilians on the front line

    British aid worker has arm and leg amputated after Russian drone attack while he was evacuating civilians on the front line

    STEPHEN GLOVER: Why open justice is NOT served by shoving the name of a judge under the carpet

    STEPHEN GLOVER: Why open justice is NOT served by shoving the name of a judge under the carpet

    Fear grips DC as Musk gains access to sensitive Treasury Department payment system that controls $5TRILLION

    Fear grips DC as Musk gains access to sensitive Treasury Department payment system that controls $5TRILLION

    Horror as 11-year-old Dutch girl stabbed to death in broad daylight by ‘man from Syria’ -year-old man

    Horror as 11-year-old Dutch girl stabbed to death in broad daylight by ‘man from Syria’ -year-old man

    How Mexico’s decision to send 10,000 troops to the border will work

    How Mexico’s decision to send 10,000 troops to the border will work