JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli forces shot and killed a 16 year-old Palestinian girl during a raid in the volatile city of Jenin on Sunday, the Palestinian health ministry said, as the wave of violence in the occupied West Bank this year continued.
The Israeli military said it was aware of reports of the girl’s death and the incident was under review.
It said troops were shot at while carrying out a raid to arrest three wanted individuals and returned fire.
Jenin, in the northern West Bank, houses a sprawling refugee camp in which armed militant groups including Islamic Jihad and Hamas operate openly.
Along with the nearby city of Nablus, it has been at the centre of much of the violence in the West Bank this year as Israeli forces have conducted near-daily raids as part of a crackdown following a deadly series of attacks by Palestinians in Israel in the spring.
During one of the most violent years in more than a decade, Palestinian authorities say at least 165 Palestinians, including both members of militant groups and civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank this year.
At the same time, at least 23 Israeli civilians and eight members of the security forces have been killed in Israel and the West Bank, while violent clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians have also increased.
(Reporting by Ali Sawafta and James Mackenzie; Editing by Kim Coghill)
