Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Woman in West Bank

The place where the Palestinian girl was killed in Beitunia (AFP)
The place where the Palestinian girl was killed in Beitunia (AFP)
TT

Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Woman in West Bank

The place where the Palestinian girl was killed in Beitunia (AFP)
The place where the Palestinian girl was killed in Beitunia (AFP)

Israeli forces on Monday killed a Palestinian teenage girl in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military said its troops opened fire on a vehicle that was accelerating towards the soldiers.

The incident in Beitunia, near the hub city of Ramallah, was the latest during an intensified military sweep of West Bank launched by Israel in March after a spate of Palestinian street attacks in its cities.

In March, the Israeli forces launched a military operation in the West Bank after a series of Palestinian attacks in its cities.

Palestinian medics said a 19-year-old woman from Hebron was shot dead. It was not immediately clear where she had been sitting in the car.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said a 26-year-old man with her was detained by the troops.

An Israeli army spokesperson said troops, in Beitunia to capture a suspected fighter, had spotted a "suspicious vehicle" approaching and that the driver - described only as a male - accelerated toward them despite their signaling him to stop.

"In response, the soldiers shot at the vehicle. Hits were identified. The incident is under review," the spokesperson said, without giving details on casualties or arrests.



Schools Closed in Beirut after Deadly Israeli Strike

Firefighters douse flames at the site of an Israeli strike on a building in the Lebanese capital - AFP
Firefighters douse flames at the site of an Israeli strike on a building in the Lebanese capital - AFP
TT

Schools Closed in Beirut after Deadly Israeli Strike

Firefighters douse flames at the site of an Israeli strike on a building in the Lebanese capital - AFP
Firefighters douse flames at the site of an Israeli strike on a building in the Lebanese capital - AFP

Schools in Beirut were closed on Monday after Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital killed six people including Hezbollah's spokesman, the latest in a string of top militant targets slain in the war.

Israel escalated its bombardment of Hezbollah strongholds in late September, vowing to secure its northern border with Lebanon to allow Israelis displaced by cross-border fire to return home.

Sunday's strikes hit densely populated districts of central Beirut that had so far been spared the violence engulfing other areas of Lebanon.

The video player is currently playing an ad.
The strikes prompted the education ministry to shut schools and higher education institutions in the Beirut area for two days.

Children and young people around Lebanon have been heavily impacted by the war, which has seen schools around the country turned into shelters for the displaced.

Lebanese authorities say more than 3,480 people have been killed since October last year, with most casualties recorded since September.

Israel says 48 soldiers have been killed fighting Hezbollah, AFP reported.

Another strike hit a busy shopping district of Beirut, sparking a huge blaze that engulfed part of a building and several shops nearby.

Lebanon's National News Agency said the fire had largely been extinguished by Monday morning, noting it had caused diesel fuel tanks to explode.

"In a quarter of an hour our whole life's work was lost," said Shukri Fuad, who owned a shop destroyed in the strike.

Ayman Darwish worked at an electronics shop that was hit.

"Everyone knows us, everyone knows this area is a civilian area, no one is armed here," he said.

One of those killed in the strike, Darwish said, was the son of the owner of the store where he worked.

"The martyr Mahmud used to come after working hours, in the evenings and even on Sundays, to deal with client requests," he said.

The NNA reported new strikes early Monday on locations around south Lebanon, long a stronghold of Hezbollah.