Palestinian girl shot dead on roof of West Bank home
- Published
A 16-year-old Palestinian girl has been found shot dead on the roof of her home after a clash between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian sources say.
The Palestinian health ministry said Jana Zakarneh was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers in Jenin on Sunday.
The Israeli military said it was aware of the report and was looking into it.
Zakarneh is one of the youngest Palestinians killed this year - the deadliest in the West Bank since 2005.
According to the Palestinian Authority's official Wafa news agency, Zakarneh's body was found by members of her family after soldiers had left the area following a raid.
Residents said they saw Israeli snipers positioned on a nearby building - one apparently shot the girl, the health ministry said.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan said a preliminary investigation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) found that an undercover unit fired at the roof where the teenager was standing after a shot was detected from there.
Kan cited IDF sources as saying the possibility that Zakarneh was hit by fire from Palestinian gunmen had not yet been ruled out. However, it said, the chance was low.
An IDF statement said its forces had fired towards armed suspects who had "hurled explosives and fired heavily" at them during an arrest raid.
Three people "suspected of terrorist involvement" were detained in the operation, it said.
Jana Zakarneh's death is the latest in a spiralling toll of Palestinian fatalities this year. In the West Bank, more than 150 - civilians, militant gunmen and armed attackers - have been killed, nearly all by Israeli forces.
The IDF has been carrying out near-nightly raids in the West Bank as part of an operation against militants which began in March after a wave of attacks in Israel by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs left 17 Israelis and two Ukrainians dead.
The spree of killings was the deadliest Israel had seen since 2015, leaving the country in shock.
The IDF has said that a total of 31 Israelis have been killed in attacks this year.
