3rd Palestinian shot dead after alleged attacks in Hebron, Jerusalem

OCT. 17, 2015  Ma'an News

A 17-year-old Palestinian girl shot dead after alleged attack in Hebron on Oct. 17, 2015. (MaanImages)

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian teenager was shot dead Saturday by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron after allegedly stabbing an Israeli border police officer in the third alleged attack of the day.

Palestinian locals said that Israeli forces opened fire at the woman close to the the Wadi al-Ghrus area near the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement.

She was identified as 17-year-old Bayan Ayman Abd al-Hadi al-Esseili.

Her family told Ma'an they were informed by Israeli authorities that their daughter had been killed after she stabbed a soldier.

A border police woman sustained light injuries to her hand, according to Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld, who reported that a "female terrorist was shot at the scene."

Fadil Qawasmi, 18, was shot dead by an Israeli settler earlier Saturday morning on Shuhada Street in Hebron's Old City, hours before a 16-year-old Palestinian was shot dead in occupied East Jerusalem.

Both teens are accused of carrying out stabbing attacks, although no Israelis were injured in either incident.

Saturday's events bring the total number of Palestinians killed to 40 since the beginning of the month. Seven Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in the same period.

On Friday three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces during demonstrations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and one was killed after stabbing an Israeli soldier in East Jerusalem.

Another Palestinian succumbed to wounds sustained during a Gaza demonstration the week before.

A group of prominent Israeli and international human rights organizations on Wednesday released a joint statement arguing that recent calls by Israeli politicians to shoot Palestinian attackers rather than arrest them effectively endorses the killing of Palestinians.

The statement, which was signed by nine groups including B'Tselem and Amnesty International, added that "in instances when Jews have been suspected of attacks, none of the suspects has been shot."

"Politicians and senior police officers have not only failed to act to calm the public climate of incitement, but on the contrary have openly called for the extrajudicial killing of (Palestinian) suspects," the groups said.

PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat announced last week that the Palestinian leadership would be contacting the High Commissioner for Human Rights to request an investigation into the recent killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces.