|
JERUSALEM, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces shot and wounded a Palestinian girl after she allegedly tried to stab an Israeli near a West Bank checkpoint on Wednesday morning, Israeli authorities said.
There were conflicting reports about the girl's condition, with some local media outlets saying she was in a critical condition.
According to a notice by the Ministry of Security, which operates the checkpoint, the youth arrived walking at the Aliyahu Checkpoint, which is a crossing for vehicles near the city of Qalqilya.
The security guards called her to stop and shot warning shots in the air, the ministry said. "When the girl continued to walk and put her hand under her shirt, the security guards fired at her leg to stop her," the statement read.
The incident came a day after Israeli security forces shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian near Hebron in an alleged stabbing attack on soldiers.
It also followed a bloody five days in which Israeli forces killed six Palestinians and a Jordanian. According to Israeli authorities, the men were killed while attacking Israelis, suggesting the return of the almost daily Palestinian attacks seen previously over the past year.
The year-long violence has claimed the lives of at least 230 Palestinians and 34 Israelis. Israel says that most of the Palestinians were killed amidst stabbing, car-ramming, and shooting attacks.
The Palestinians and human rights organizations say that Israel is using excessive force to quell the uprising, and in many cases kill Palestinians who could be stopped without using lethal force or were mistaken to be attackers.
Israeli leaders accuse the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest, while the Palestinians say it is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, home to more than 5 million Palestinians, where they wish to establish their state.
