Israel has acknowledged that its forces likely unintentionally killed a 16-year-old Palestinian girl during a gun battle with militants in the occupied West Bank. Jana Zakarneh's body was discovered on the roof of her home in Jenin following a firefight on Sunday night.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh accused Israel of killing the teenager "in cold blood." Zakarneh is among the youngest Palestinians killed this year, which has become the deadliest in the West Bank since 2005.
The incident occurred during an Israeli raid to arrest wanted militants. Residents reported seeing Israeli snipers positioned on a nearby building, with the Palestinian health ministry stating that one apparently shot the girl. Zakarneh's uncle, Yasser, told AFP that she had gone to the roof to fetch her cat and never returned.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement later on Monday said initial findings indicated Zakarneh was near gunmen who had opened fire on troops and thrown explosives and Molotov cocktails from roofs. Soldiers responded with live fire towards the suspects. The IDF expressed regret for any harm to uninvolved civilians in combat environments near armed terrorists.
The IDF said 18 wanted individuals, including three suspected of terrorist activity, were arrested in the operation. Zakarneh's death adds to a spiralling toll of Palestinian fatalities this year, with over 150 killed in the West Bank—mostly by Israeli forces—including civilians, militants, and armed attackers.
The IDF has conducted near-nightly raids in the West Bank since March, following a wave of attacks in Israel by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs that killed 17 Israelis and two Ukrainians. The IDF reports that 31 Israelis have been killed in attacks this year.
