A Palestinian teenage girl was shot Saturday morning by a security guard outside the West Bank settlement of Anatot after an alleged stabbing attempt.
According to Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri, the 13-year-old girl approached a gate leading into the Anatot settlement and attempted to stab a security guard.
The girl, identified as Ruqayya Eid Abu Eid from the village of Anata, west of the Anatot settlement, was shot by a security guard several times and died shortly after.
The alleged attack happened around 8 am. The police spokeswoman said an initial investigation suggests the girl had a fight with her family before leaving her home armed with a knife.
The girl’s father arrived to the scene shortly after in search of his daughter, and was detained for questioning at the Ma'aleh Adumim police station. Ma’an news reported the girl’s family lives in Anata but is originally from Yatta, a city south of Hebron.
The alleged stabbing attack outside the Anatot settlement, considered illegal according to international law, is the most recent incident taking place in the current wave of violence in the West Bank.
Since the beginning of October, over 20 Israelis have been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians. Over the same period at least 160 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military, security forces, and settlers.