Ref:156/2022

Date: 12 December 2022

Time: 14:00 GMT

Yesterday evening, a Palestinian girl was killed and three Palestinians, including two brothers, were arrested during Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)’s incursion into the eastern neighborhood of Jenin deep inside the Palestinian Authority (PA)-controlled areas in the West Bank.

According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately 22:11 on Sunday, 11 December 2022, an Israeli special force from “Yamam Unit” sneaked into Jenin’s eastern neighborhood via a white Iveco Bus and stationed near a house and al-‘Absi supermarket in the neighborhood before raiding the supermarket owned by Hethnawi family. Once the special force was detected, exchange of fire occurred with members of Palestinian armed groups. Afterwards, several IOF vehicles moved into the area to back up the special unit, and some Israeli soldiers topped the roofs of the high building roofs, turning them into barracks for snipers, who were opening fire from time to time. An hour later, IOF withdrew after arresting three Palestinians, including two brothers from Hethnawi family, while the latter were inside the supermarket which was raided by the special force.

Half an hour after IOF’s withdrawal, a 15-year-old child namely Jana ‘Issam ‘Assaf Zakarneh was found a dead body while blood surrounding her on her family house roof. Later, it turned out that she was shot with a live bullet in her head, and the neighborhood’s residents assume that the bullet was fired by one of the Israeli snipers stationed on the top of residential buildings, including an under-construction building comprised of seven floors opposite to Zakarneh family house. Jana was taken to Dr. Khalil Suliman Hospital in Jenin, where doctors confirmed her death after succumbing to a bullet injury in the head.

According to PCHR’s fieldworker, Jana’s body was referred to the Forensic Medicine Institute at an-Najah National University in Nablus. After the autopsy, it turned out according to what the doctors told PCHR’s fieldworker, that the shooting was from an M16 weapon from a distance of no less than 300 meters. Also, it was found out that Jana was hit with 5 live bullets that penetrated her body; 4 of them hit her shoulder and neck while the fifth penetrated her head from the right side and exited the left side, and some shrapnel remained in her head. This proves that the shots were of the explosive type that is usually used by IOF.

In a statement, the Israeli military spokesperson said “in Jenin, Israeli troops arrested three Palestinians wanted for security reasons. During the operation, some suspects directed explosives and heavy live fire at the troops, who returned fire at the armed Palestinians spotted in the area.” He added that the Israeli military was aware of the teenager’s death and that an investigation was underway.”[1]

PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community to stop the Israeli crimes and provide protection for Palestinians and demands the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfil their obligations as per Common Article 1 of the Convention, “undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances,” and their obligations under Article 146 of the same Conventions, i.e., to hold accountable persons accused of committing grave breaches of the Convention.

[1] https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-gunmen-clash-with-israeli-troops-during-arrest-raid-in-jenin/