Israeli troops shot an unarmed 13-year-old Palestinian girl at an occupation checkpoint in the West Bank on Wednesday. Israel claims she continued to walk toward the checkpoint after soldiers ordered her to stop.
The girl, identified as Baraa Ramadan Issawi, was shot in her legs, according to Israeli media. Israeli media first reported that soldiers had stopped a “terror attack” and that the girl had a knife and was planning stabbing attack, Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported.
However, a statement by the Israeli Defense Ministry denied those initial reports and said the girl had no weapon on her.
The news comes a day after Kamel Hameid, mayor of Hebron, which has seen the bulk of violence throughout the past year, said Israeli troops have been inciting children to carry knifes.
“Our reports indicate that Israeli forces provoke Palestinian children and incite them to carry knifes. Israeli soldiers keep asking Palestinian children at checkpoints, ‘Where are your knifes? Why aren’t you carrying knifes?’” Kamel Hameid said at a press conference, according to Ma’an.
