Girl ‘killed’ in West Bank home as Israeli raids continue

Defence for Children Palestine (DCIP), a rights group, said, external Israeli soldiers entered Kafr Dan around 11:30 (09:30 BST) on Tuesday, prompting clashes with armed Palestinians.

“Israeli soldiers surrounded and besieged the home of a wanted Palestinian man, firing live ammunition and shells at the house,” it said.

“Around 14:10, 16-year-old Loujain was inside her family’s home … when an Israeli sniper shot her in the head through a window.”

During a funeral procession for Loujain on Wednesday, her father, Osama, told reporters: “She didn’t go to the roof, she didn’t hurl a stone, and she wasn’t carrying a weapon.”

“The only thing she did is look from the window and the soldier saw her and shot her.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said soldiers surrounded two civilian structures in Kafr Dan where they believed armed fighters were sheltering, and that they “called for civilians to evacuate from both structures prior to the exchange of fire that took place”.

“During the encircling of the structures, the terrorists opened fire at IDF soldiers in the area, and in response the soldiers fired back at a suspect who observed the forces in the area, in order to remove a threat,” it added.

“The IDF is aware of the report regarding a 16-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed during the exchange of fire. The details of the incident are under review.”

Pictures from the funeral showed mourners carrying a body wrapped in a Hamas flag. The bodies of those killed by Israel are often wrapped in the flags of movements supported by friends or family members – even when the deceased are not supporters themselves.