Israeli forces shoot Palestinian woman dead in W. Bank

By Anees Bargouthi

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – A Palestinian woman was shot dead Friday by Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) after allegedly carrying out a vehicular attack, the Israeli army and the Palestinian Health Ministry have said.

The Israeli army said in a statement that a Palestinian assailant had driven her car into a vehicle near the entrance of the Jewish-only Kiryat Arba settlement (located on Hebron’s outskirts), slightly injuring two Israelis.

Israeli forces responded by opening fire on the attacker, which led to her death, the army statement asserted.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has since confirmed that Majd al-Khdour, a 19-year-old mother of one, was shot dead by Israeli forces on Hebron’s eastern outskirts.

The Palestinian Red Crescent, for its part, said that Israeli army personnel had not allowed medical crews to provide Khdour with emergency treatment, leaving her to bleed to death.

According to Palestinian figures, close to 220 Palestinians have been killed since the current uptick in Israeli-Palestinian violence began last October.

Israel, for its part, says 38 Israelis have been killed over the same period.