Teen Palestinian girl dies of wounds sustained in Jenin clashes between gunmen, IDF
Military expected to investigate death of 15-year-old Sadeel Turkman; fatality brings toll of Monday battle to 7, with 18 still in serious condition
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A teenage Palestinian girl has died of wounds sustained during recent clashes between local gunmen and Israeli troops in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian health officials said Wednesday morning.
The Palestinian Authority health ministry said Sadeel Turkman, 15, was shot in the head during the Israeli army raid in Jenin on Monday. She died of her wounds on Wednesday morning at a hospital in the northern West Bank city.
An unnamed Israeli security source told Army Radio that Turkman was likely struck by a bullet while she was at home. “The chances that she was hit by IDF fire are low,” the source claimed.
The military was expected to investigate her death and previously said it only shot at Palestinian gunmen and rioters endangering troops.
Turkman’s death brought the toll of the gun battles in Jenin to seven. Nearly 100 were wounded in the clashes, including 18 listed in serious and critical condition as of Wednesday morning.
In addition to Turkman, the ministry identified those killed as Khaled Asasa, 21, Qassam Abu Sariya, 29, Qais Jabareen, 21, Ahmed Daraghmeh, 19, Amjad Aref al-Jaas, 48, and 15-year-old Ahmed Saqr.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed Abu Sariya, Jabareen, and Daraghmeh as members of local wings of the terror group in Jenin and the nearby town of Tubas. It was unclear to what extent the others were involved in the clashes.
Eight IDF soldiers sustained light-to-moderate injuries in the Jenin battle and as a result of a massive roadside bomb that was detonated next to an army vehicle.
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been elevated for the past year, with the military carrying out near-nightly raids in the West Bank, amid a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks.
Since the beginning of the year, Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank have killed 24 people, including 17-year-old Nachman Mordoff, 17-year-old Elisha Anteman, 21-year-old Harel Masood and 64-year-old Ofer Fayerman, all killed Tuesday near the settlement of Eli.
According to a tally by The Times of Israel, 128 West Bank Palestinians have been killed during that span, most of them during clashes with security forces, but some were uninvolved civilians and others were killed under unclear circumstances.
The Times of Israel Community.