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Photos:
Jenna Majdi Essam Zakarna, 16. Published by IMEMC News

Jenna Majdi Essam Zakarna killed. Published by IMEMC News and Haaretz

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by IMEMC News
Dec 12, 2022

Late on Sunday night, Israeli soldiers invaded the Eastern neighborhood of Jenin city, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, killed a child while standing on her home’s rooftop, injured a young man, and abducted three.

The attack occurred before midnight Sunday when undercover soldiers following many several armored military vehicles invaded Jenin.

Sources at the Khalil Suleiman Hospital in Jenin said the soldiers killed Jenna Majdi Essam Zakarna, 16, after shooting her with live fire in the head.

Jenna’s family said the soldiers fatally shot her while standing on the rooftop of their home in the Eastern Neighborhood.

Her family added they found her body on their rooftop after the soldiers withdrew from the city.

Hundreds of Palestinians marched carrying the corpse of the slain child while chanting for liberation, independence and ongoing resistance against the illegal Israeli occupation.

The soldiers also stormed and ransacked many homes before abducting Hasan Ahmad Mer’ey, 30, Tha’er Jihad Hanthawi, 40, and his brother Mohammad, 33.

Furthermore, the soldiers caused damage to several parked cars and a shop during protests that took place in the Al-Bayader area in Jenin.

The Israeli army claimed it arrested a Palestinian reportedly “planning attacks against the soldiers and Israeli targets.”

Furthermore, the Palestinian Health Ministry said the soldiers also shot a young man with a bullet in the leg before he was rushed to Ibn Sina Specialized Hospital suffering mild-to-moderate wounds.

Also, Palestinian resistance fighters exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers who invaded Jenin and again while withdrawing from the city.
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16-year-old Palestinian Girl Killed by Israeli Army Gunfire in Jenin, Health Ministry Says

Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians broke out in the West Bank city when IDF arrested three wanted Palestinians. According to a preliminary army investigation the 16-year-old was likely shot by mistake

by Jack Khoury for Haaretz
Dec 12, 2022 12:57 am IST

A Palestinian girl was killed Sunday night by Israeli army gunfire in the West Bank city of Jenin, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The girl, identified as 16-year-old Jana Zakarna, was struck in the head while on her house roof and found dead after the Israeli troops withdrew from Jenin, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

The IDF spokesperson released a statement saying that Israeli security forces conducted three arrests in Jenin of Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks against Israelis. During the operation, shots were fired and explosive devices were thrown towards the Israeli forces, who then returned fire, the IDF says.

Later on Monday, an IDF source said that according to a preliminary investigation, Zakarna might have been shot by accident. The source said that an IDF sniper who spotted two figures standing on the roof claimed that one of them was armed, and authorized to open fire.

Palestinian factions in Jenin declared a general strike following the death of the Zakarna.

In an interview with the Nazareth-based radio station Radio Ashams on Monday, Zakarna's uncle said that Jana heard gunshots and went up to the roof to see what was happening. "There was an exchange of gunfire about 50 meters away, and she didn't think she would be hurt. After a few minutes her father went up and found her there lying on the floor." According to the uncle, Jana was struck in the head but at the hospital they identified at least four more gunshot wounds in her body.

In a conversation with Haaretz on Monday, the uncle stressed that the family denies that Jana went up the roof to photograph the military activity in the area. According to him, as soon as he arrived at the scene he found Jana lying dead with no phone or any filming equipment.

He then explained that her body was transferred to Nablus University Hospital for an autopsy and to determine how she was injured. Despite hearing that Palestinian militants may have shot it, he added: "On the other hand, we know that Israeli snipers are always stationed on the roofs of surrounding buildings during operations." Jana was the eldest of three daughters and had a younger brother.

However, the victim's father told a different story about why Zakarna went to the roof. According to him, Zakarna's cat lived in a basket on top of her house, and when she heard shooting nearby, she rushed to bring it home. When he went to look for his daughter, he found her dead on the roof, with the cat by her side.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid expressed his condolences over the death of Zakarna to her family. He also stressed that the investigation findings that were published are preliminary and that the security sources are still probing the incident.

"The State of Israel will continue to work to thwart terrorism and capture terrorists wherever necessary, I trust the soldiers of the IDF and the security forces that in their activities, even the most complex, they are doing and will continue to do their utmost in order to prevent harm to the innocent," he wrote on Twitter.

In a meeting of the National Unity Party on Monday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz expressed grief over Zakarna's death "as in any death of someone not involved in terrorism is regrettable." Gantz added that as a result of the IDF's activity to arrest suspects involved in shooting attacks and terrorist organizations with the aim of murdering Israelis, charges and incendiary bottles were thrown at the security forces, who then returned fire in self-defense.

The army is investigating the incident, Gantz said and assured that "unlike those who sit on the roads with weapons, stones and Molotov cocktails, waiting for an opportunity to kill Israeli children, women, and old men – IDF soldiers do not intentionally shoot uninvolved people."

The Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, told during his cabinet meeting on Monday that the Palestinian Authority is calling on the UN Secretary-General for Children and War Zones, Virginia Gamba, who arrived Sunday to visit Israel and the West Bank, to investigate the circumstances of the case. "Zakarna's murder is the latest in a long line of Palestinian children's murders committed by occupation soldiers," he said.

Ata Abu Ramila, one of the leaders of Fatah in Jenin, announced that all Palestinian factions in the refugee camp and the city will strike tomorrow to mark Zakarna's death.

Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee, said that Zakarna was a "victim of the heinous crime of the occupation of Jenin." He additionally called on "regional and international officials to immediately investigate the circumstances of her execution."

Earlier in the night, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported two Palestinians were wounded by Israeli army gunfire in Jenin. The two were hospitalized in moderate and light condition.

On Thursday, three Palestinians were killed by Israeli military gunfire in Jenin, the Health Ministry in Ramallah reported. The Israeli military said its forces were conducting an operation to arrest 15 wanted men in Jenin when armed Palestinians began to fire at them.

AP News contributed to this story.

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