Veiled teenage Palestinian student killed by Israeli soldiers at checkpoint in Hebron
Sep 26, – Smiling to the camera with a bouquet of flowers in her hand, this is the Palestinian first year university student shot dead by Israeli soldiers after a tense stand-off in Hebron, the West Bank on Tuesday.
The image of Hadeel al-Hashlamun, 18, was shared by Palestinian activist group Youth Against Settlements who said they obtained it from her father, the head of the anesthesia department of the Al-Ahli hospital in Hebron.
Dramatic images of two soldiers pointing their rifles on al-Hashlamun, and the shooting that followed, shocked the world and sparked violent clashes in the city.
She was reportedly shot in her stomach and leg and died of her injuries in hospital.
The teenager, who had three sisters and four brothers, was been described by YAG as a ‘good student’ who ‘loved her family very much’ and did not support any Palestinian political parties.
Ibtisam al-Joundy, the head teacher of the al-Faiha school where al-Hashlamun studied said she was ‘intelligent’ and ‘one of the best students’ in the class.
‘A normal girl and very polite, she loved her family very much. She didn’t suffer from any psychological problems.’
Human Rights Observers said the girl’s family is ‘politically neutral’ and did not associate with any Palestinian groups or parties.
Photographs taken in the moments before she was gunned down reveal how at least two soldiers had their guns trained on the veiled teenager just before she was killed when she approached the checkpoint at around 8am.
A spokesman for the military said hours after the shooting: ‘From the preliminary review regarding this morning’s incident in Hebron, the perpetrator approached the checkpoint and the metal detector was activated, alerting the troops’ suspicion.’
‘Forces at the scene asked the perpetrator to stop, at which point she approached the forces, disregarding the instructions and raising further suspicion. Forces called for her to halt, which she ignored, and she continued moving while also pulling out a knife.
‘At this point, forces fired at the ground, then at her lower extremities in attempts to stop her advancement. The perpetrator continued and at this point, recognising a clear and present danger to their safety, the forces fired towards her.’
According to local Palestinian media, she had been shot 10 times after refusing to reveal the contents of her purse or lift her face veil.
An eyewitness disputed the Israeli army’s version of events, telling the New York Times that she was trying to show soldiers what was in her bag when she was shot.
A separate witness, Fawaz Abu Aisheh, 34, told the Times that she appeared to freeze as the drama unfolded – even when a soldier shot at her feet.
He is quoted as saying: ‘She was like a nail, like she was in shock. I was shouting, “She doesn’t understand Hebrew!”
‘Even if she had a knife, she would have to leap over a barrier about a metre high to reach a soldier,’ he said, adding that there were up to seven soldiers with ‘heavy weapons’.
Youth Against Settlements, who said Al-Hashlamun was on her way to visit a university friend, denied she had a knife and posted pictures on its Facebook page which showed the contents of the bag she was carrying when she was shot.
A caption alongside it read: ‘You can see her bag’s contents after the Israeli police opened it. She had a phone and books.’
However, the Israeli army later released a photograph of the alleged weapon, with a blue and yellow handle, lying near the scene of the shooting.
The Middle East Eye news agency reported how there were claims that she was left lying on the street for half an hour before Israeli soldiers allowed doctors to reach her.
press journalist for HRO media – Khizer Hayat reports.
Category: Arab uprising
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