Israeli police have opened an investigation into the death of a Palestinian child during a car-ramming attack at a checkpoint near the West Bank settlement of Givat Zeev, northwest of Jerusalem.
In a Jan. 7 statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Israeli authorities said an officer mistakenly shot at the vehicle carrying the young girl during a “drive-by attack” on Israel Border Police.
According to police, a vehicle with a man and a woman inside plowed into officers at the checkpoint. Other border police at the scene gave chase, opening fire at the vehicle. Both occupants were “neutralized,” Israel Border Police said.
In the aftermath, Israeli authorities reportedly discovered a young girl in another car had also been hit by gunfire. Her age has not been conclusively determined, but it’s suspected she was no more than 3 or 4 years old. Two United Hatzalah volunteer EMTs who attended the scene told the media they were initially called to treat the wounded patrol officer.
“At the beginning of the incident, we provided initial treatment to a woman who suffered light limb injuries,” the EMTs said.
“While we were treating her, a 4-year-old girl was brought to us in critical condition, and after unsuccessful resuscitation attempts, her death was pronounced at the scene.”
Another Border Police officer was killed in the northern West Bank city of Jenin over the weekend in a roadside bomb attack that also injured three others. At the same location, an Israeli military helicopter unleashed an air strike on a group throwing explosives at Israeli vehicles. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, seven Palestinians were killed during the strike.
Blinken Returns to Middle East
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has returned to the Middle East to ramp up diplomatic efforts and prevent the conflict between Hamas and Israel from spreading, calling it a “moment of profound tension in the region” and “a matter of global concern.”“From day one, among other priorities, we have been intensely focused on working to prevent the conflict from spreading, and that is indeed a major focus of what is now my fourth visit to the region since October 7,” Mr. Blinken said.
“We share a commitment to ensure that the conflict does not expand, and I think we also share a commitment to use the influence, the relationships, the ties that we have with different parties in the region to try to avoid escalation and to deter new fronts from opening.”
The U.S. secretary of state has already visited Jordan, Turkey, and Greece on a tour that also includes Israel, the West Bank, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
