Israeli forces kill 2-year-old Palestinian girl in occupied West Bank raid

According to health officials, an increase in Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank resulted in the fatal shooting of a two-year-old Palestinian girl. The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated in a release that Laila al-Khatib died from "severe injuries" after being shot in the head by Israeli forces in the Martyr's Triangle area of Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank, on Saturday.

Media reports indicate that the girl’s pregnant mother was also slightly injured in the attack. The Israeli military stated that it is investigating the incident, claiming its forces opened fire on a building after receiving intelligence about the presence of Palestinian militants. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Khatib’s grandmother said the family was eating a meal when the incident occurred. “There was gunfire, and the windows were shattered. When the girls heard the gunfire, they started running inside the house. Her mother was feeding her, [when] she was hit in the head by a sniper’s bullet,” she added, noting that the girl was her mother’s only child.

Israeli forces have conducted multiple raids and incursions in Jenin in recent years, which has long been seen as a symbol of Palestinian resistance. The latest operation came just a day after a ceasefire agreement went into effect in the Gaza Strip, where approximately 15 months of Israeli attacks have resulted in the deaths of over 47,000 Palestinians. Additionally, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that 42-year-old Ahmad Mahmoud Hashash also died on Saturday from injuries sustained after being shot by Israeli forces in a raid in the Balata refugee camp in the central West Bank on Saturday.

According to the Ministry of Health, at least 14 Palestinians have been killed during ongoing military operations in Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp. Dozens have been wounded, and thousands have been forced to leave their homes. Before Israel launched its latest assault on Monday, Palestinian Authority security forces, which exercise limited autonomy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, had been conducting weeks-long operations to regain control of Jenin.

In addition to the casualties, the Israeli military's attacks have caused widespread destruction, including bulldozing main roads and demolishing homes. “Breaking the Silence,” an organization of former Israeli soldiers that calls for an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, stated last week that Jenin is at risk of being “Gaza-fied” by Israeli forces, “including airstrikes and the destruction of infrastructure.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the operation is aimed at rooting out “terrorism.”