Palestinian woman shot dead by Israeli troops

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, Palestine: Israeli forces have shot a Palestinian woman dead allegedly for attempting to carry out a car-ramming attack northeast of Jerusalem, according to the Israeli army.

Palestinian media, which identified the victim as doctoral student Mai Afanah, 29, from Abu Dis, said she was shot and left bleeding at the scene of the incident on Wednesday.

A military statement said the woman attempted to ram her car into a group of Israeli soldiers before exiting the vehicle with a knife near the town of Hizma, northeast of Jerusalem. An Israeli soldier was slightly wounded, according to Israeli media. The Palestinian health ministry said the woman died of her wounds.

“The Palestinian civil liaison informed the health ministry of the death of a woman shot by [Israeli forces] in Hizma,” it said in a statement, citing the body that coordinates with Israel on military and civilian issues concerning the occupied West Bank.

Videos shared on social media showed an abandoned car that allegedly belonged to Afanah at the entrance to the town.

Palestinian media reported that no ambulance arrived at the scene after she was shot.

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in recent months allegedly for attempting to carry out stabbing or car-ramming attacks.

Palestinian rights groups accuse Israeli forces of deliberately killing Palestinians who pose no risk to their lives or safety.

Wednesday’s incident came amid rising tensions following a march in occupied East Jerusalem by Jewish nationalists marking Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967. The march drew Palestinian condemnation and anger.

Israel also launched air raids on the Gaza Strip after incendiary balloons were sent into southern Israel from the besieged enclave.

There were no reports of casualties on either side following the overnight air raids, which came less than a month after Israel’s 11-day bombardment of Gaza in May that killed at least 256 Palestinians, including 66 children.

Rockets launched by Palestinian groups during the 11-day Israeli assault killed at least 12 people, including two children, in Israel. The escalation ended with an internationally brokered ceasefire on May 21.

Last Thursday, Israeli special forces killed a member of Islamic Jihad and two Palestinian security officers in an exchange of fire in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

Two Palestinians were killed in separate incidents on Friday and Saturday, the first in the occupied West Bank and the second at a military checkpoint near Jerusalem.