8-year-old Palestinian lost eyesight after being shot by IDF during West Bank raid, father says

Israeli troops reportedly shot and severely injured a young girl, causing her to lose her eyesight, during a West Bank raid on Tuesday.

Eight-year-old Jannat al-Matur was shot by an Israeli sniper through a window while at her home in Sa’ir, north of Hebron, her father told Palestinian media.

The sniper’s bullet grazed the girl’s head and shrapnel from the gunfire hit her face, leaving her blind.

Al-Matur’s father says that she will need to undergo surgery to restore her eyesight. She is currently in stable condition.

“Within an instant, I found myself covered in blood, bleeding and I didn’t know what happened to me,” said the child to Palestinian outlets while in the hospital.

The IDF does not comment directly on the reports but confirms that its forces were operating in the Beit Einun area adjacent to Sa’ir on Tuesday, when rioters began to throw stones at the troops.

The army spokesperson says soldiers “responded by firing at key instigators in order to eliminate the threat,” leading to multiple casualties.