The head of the Israeli Border Police said Wednesday that forces who shot and killed a teenage Palestinian girl this week during a Jenin raid “acted morally.”
“I emphatically and unreservedly expressed my backing and support for the fighters,” Amir Cohen said, according to Israeli media.
“I have determined, based on the investigation that was presented to me a few hours after the incident, that our fighters acted morally, with values, with courage, with determination, and saved lives. And for that, I salute them.”
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that 16-year-old Jana Zakarneh was killed after being shot by Israeli soldiers during a military raid on Sunday night into Jenin’s the Al-Bayader neighborhood.
Local sources added that Jana was shot and killed while on her house roof and found dead after the Israeli forces withdrew from Jenin.
The 11th-grade girl was searching for her cat on the roof, family sources told local and international media.
Zakarneh’s uncle, speaking to AFP, said that his niece had gone to the roof of the building to get her cat.
“She wasn’t carrying a weapon or throwing stones, she had nothing and was shot with four bullets in deadly spots: in the head, the face and twice in the chest. They have truly killed childhood,” he said.
Noting the recent “alarming increase in Palestinian and Israeli deaths and injuries,” Price reiterated the need for “all parties to take steps to de-escalate the situation”.
That night, at approximately 10 p.m, an Israeli special forces unit raided the eastern neighborhood of Jenin city where the warning sirens blared.
Confrontations erupted between Palestinian residents and the Israeli soldiers who injured two people and arrested three others, claiming the three Palestinians were suspected of carrying out attacks against Israelis.
The Israeli military said it was aware of the teenager’s death and alleged an investigation was underway.
On Monday, the Israeli forces admitted the killing of the girl, claiming she was hit by “unintentional fire.”
The Israeli forces claimed in a statement, “Following an initial inquiry, it was determined that the girl who was killed was hit by unintentional fire aimed at armed gunmen on a roof in the area from which the force was fired upon.”
The 11th-grade girl is the 53rd Palestinian child killed in 2022 by Israeli forces.
