The people of Palestine were once again witness to the killing of another innocent young girl in the hands of the Israeli forces in Jenin on Sunday, December 11th, the same month she would have been celebrating her birthday.

The 15-year-old Jana Majdi Zakarneh was standing on the roof of her home playing with her cat Lolo when she was brutally killed by Israeli Occupational Forces (IOF), according to local media. The Palestinian Health Ministry stated that she was shot four times, in her head, neck, and chest.

Her aunt Hanan said to Middle East Eye that Jana “was young. She spent almost all of her time with her parents, and doesn’t come and go from the house. ” She explained that both Jana’s parents have disabilities and require full-time care and support, and Jana used to take care of them.

In a statement released by Jana’s father, he mentioned how she had just gone up to fetch her cat and was bleeding for at least half an hour before they found her.

“She wasn’t carrying a weapon or throwing stones. She had nothing and was shot four bullets in deadly spots: in the head, the face, and twice in the chest,” he said.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmHR0yrLPfW/?igshid=YzFkMDk4Zjk=

Israeli special forces stormed through Jenin and its refugee camp on Sunday night and arrested some people. They then released a statement citing that they were “aware of the allegation of a Palestinian female’s killing” and are looking into the matter.

Right after the raid, clashes between Palestinian fighters and Israeli soldiers began. A local witnessed how the soldiers attacked civilians walking in the streets with their family and children.

The IOF released a statement on the afternoon of December 12th, admitting the killing: “Following a preliminary investigation, it was found that there is indeed a high probability that the girl who was killed was hit by an accidental shot fired at armed men on a roof in the area, from which shots were fired at the forces.The IDF and its commanders regret any harm to uninvolved civilians, including those who are in a combat environment and in close proximity to armed terrorists during exchanges of fire.”

A staggering 58 children have been killed by Israeli forces, with Jana being the 59th since the beginning of this year, with Israel showing no signs of slowing down. This is also the deadliest year in over a decade where 166 Palestinians have been killed.

Another topic in question is that because as Haaretz broke the news, Aaron Miller writes that if Jana had in fact been a boy, no outlet would have covered it, as boy deaths are encroached as militants instead of what they are: children. He writes, “Israel has sealed its heart to the thousands of fatalities caused by its soldiers.”