Funeral For West Bank Teenager Who Officials Say Was Shot Dead by Israeli Forces

A funeral was held Wednesday for a 16-year-old Palestinian girl, Loujain Muslah, who was shot dead Tuesday by Israeli fire in the northern West Bank village of Kufr Dan, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment about the shooting, which comes during a weeklong Israeli army operation in the north of the territory.

Hundreds of Israeli forces have for more than a week carried out the deadliest operation in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began.

Their focus has been the Jenin refugee camp – a bastion of Palestinian militancy that has only grown more fervent in that time.

Israeli military officials say the operation in Jenin — and in Tulkarem and the Al-Faraa refugee camp — is necessary to curb attacks against Israeli civilians they say have become more sophisticated and deadly in the last few months.

So far, 33 Palestinians were killed since last Wednesday including 130 injured, bringing the death toll to 685 dead and about 5700 injured in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.