Jana Majdi Zakarneh, 16, was shot dead while standing on the roof of her home during an Israeli military raid on Jenin.

Ramallah, Occupied West Bank, December 12 (RHC)--Israeli forces have killed a 16-year-old Palestinian youth during a military raid on the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.  The Palestinian health ministry identified her as Jana Majdi Zakarneh and announced her killing shortly after midnight on Monday.

Zakarneh was standing on the roof of her home when she was shot dead, according to local media. The ministry said she was shot in the head.  At least two other Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire during the raid, officials said.

Israeli special forces raided Jenin and its refugee camp at about 10pm (19:00 GMT) on Sunday and carried out arrests. Confrontations with Palestinian youth and clashes with Palestinian fighters broke out with the Israeli army.  The Israeli military said in a statement it was “aware of the allegation of a Palestinian female’s killing” and was looking into the matter.

Atta Abu Rmeileh, a local official in Jenin, announced a general strike in Jenin on Monday in mourning of the Zakarneh. A funeral procession will be held for her later in the day.  

Zakarneh is one of more than 50 Palestinian children killed by Israel so far this year in the occupied territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. She is also one of more than 215 Palestinians killed in total in 2022, including 17 women.  The United Nations has said 2022 has been the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2006.

Tensions on the ground have been boiling since last year.  Israeli military raids and killings in Palestinian cities and villages are taking place on a near-daily basis, in parallel with a rise in Palestinian armed attacks, as well as an increase in settler attacks against Palestinians.

The raids have been particularly focused on the northern West Bank cities of Jenin and Nablus, where Palestinian armed resistance is growing.