Two days after the publication of the IDF’s investigation into the incident in which a 16-year-old girl was accidentally killed, apparently by IDF fire during an exchange of fire with terrorists in Jenin, the commander of the Border Guard, Sgt. Amir Cohenaddressed the incident and backed up the fighters.
“The activity in Jenin is unprecedented, this business is boiling and bubbling”
The Israel Defense Forces react to the criticism of senior IDF officials after the shooting of the Palestinian girl: “reckless assertions”
“Fighting in hostile territory, as we recently saw in the Jenin sector, is sometimes accompanied by the fog of battle. Meanwhile, we are obliged to make decisions under fire and in a short period of time. The Border Guard is a professional force that thoroughly investigates every operational incident. And this was also done in cooperation with the IDF in the incident The last one in the Jenin sector where the fighters operated while actually risking their lives,” said Chief Cohen at the beginning of his remarks.
Later, he also referred to the findings of the investigation and said: I expressed decisively and without reservation the backing and support for our fighters. In the spirit of the World Cup, I say we don’t have VAR, we don’t have the ability to look through the screens and decide what is right or wrong. I state that in the investigation that was presented to me a few hours after the incident, our fighters acted morally, with values, with courage, with determination and saved human lives, and for that I salute them.”
As mentioned, according to the initial investigation, there is a possibility that the girl was accidentally hit by IDF fire, and the IDF estimates that there is a high probability that she was accidentally hit by naval fire. Apparently, one of the snipers recognized two figures on the roof, and according to him, one of the figures looked like a weapon. Only later did it become clear that a girl was hit on the roof of a house.
In this case, the IDF’s assessment is that the girl was identified near a gunman or mistakenly identified as a gunman and was shot at. According to the estimates, she observed the forces and took pictures of them. According to most estimates, she was near the gunman, but in any case it is believed that the shooting at her was accidental. It is not believed that the girl was carrying a weapon, but the investigation estimates that there is a high possibility that she was standing near a gunman.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid expressed grief over the death of the girl during an operation to arrest terror suspects in Jenin and sent his condolences to her family. Prime Minister Lapid emphasized that the published investigation is only preliminary, and that the security forces continue to investigate to clarify the circumstances of the incident. Lapid noted that the State of Israel will continue to act to thwart terrorism and capture terrorists wherever necessary, while he trusts the soldiers of the IDF and the security forces in their activities, including The most complex, they do and will continue to do their utmost to prevent harm to those not involved.