Israeli troops kills a female Palestinian journalist on the West Camp
On Wednesday, as she was driving to her new position with a local media network in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, Israeli troops fatally shot a Palestinian journalist.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Ghufran Harun Warasneh, 31, was shot in the torso near the al-Arroub refugee camp and died later in the hospital.
Warasneh was travelling towards the main road when two soldiers manning a military checkpoint asked her to approach them before one of them shot her, according to an unidentified eyewitness.
In a statement, the Israeli army said that “On Route 60, a knife-wielding assailant approached toward a soldier conducting regular security action. The soldiers retaliated with live ammunition.”
Israeli troops on the site reportedly prevented Palestinian Red Crescent doctors from reaching Warasneh for 20 minutes before they were able to take her to Hebron’s al-Ahli hospital.
Warasneh had started working at Dream, a small news agency, this week, and Wednesday was meant to be her third day.
Before joining Dream, Warasneh worked for a several local media networks after graduating from Hebron University’s journalism school.
Warasneh’s mother informed Wafa that she had been arrested and imprisoned for three months in January for covering a pro-Palestine march, and that her camera equipment had been destroyed.
“Ghufran got up early to make it to work on time,” Warasneh’s mother, who did not want to be identified, told Wafa.
“But it wasn’t long before we learned that the occupiers had fatally shot a woman at the camp’s entrance, though we didn’t realize it was my daughter until later.
“We were taken aback by the news.”
Female journalists are being targeted.
Ghufran’s death, according to Palestinian journalist Merfat Sadiq, was “terrible” and part of a recent escalation against Palestinian journalists.
“Women journalists, in particular, appear to be seen as an easier target. We saw this two days ago when female journalists covering the flag march in Jerusalem and Nablus were attacked repeatedly “Sadiq remarked.
“A torrent of teargas was directed towards journalist Ranin Sawaftah.
Israel is employing Palestinians as human shields once more.
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“The fact that she was allegedly stabbed is unimportant; the soldier could have detained her or terrified her. Despite the fact that she was near to them, she was struck in the upper torso, as the photographs revealed. It was a planned assassination “she continued.
The incident was described as a “field execution” by the Palestinian foreign ministry.
“She was on her way to work, and there were no issues or threats to the criminals,” the statement stated.
Over 50 Palestinians have been slain by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank so far this year, including notable journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
According to Israeli media, Israeli forces shot and killed a 15-year-old Palestinian near Bethlehem on Friday after clashes erupted between al-Khader locals and soldiers who stormed the town to “protect a crossroads near the illegal outpost of Efrat.”
Ghonaim is the 15th Palestinian youngster murdered this year by Israeli fire.
Gaith Yamin, 16, was slain by Israeli forces two days earlier while securing the entrance of Israeli settlers at Joseph’s Tomb, a location revered by Muslims and Jews and a perennial flashpoint between Palestinians and Israelis on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Nablus.
