An 9-year-old Palestinian girl, who was attending a class in a tent, was killed on Thursday by the Israeli army, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa and various international media outlets such as CBC News.
Ritaj Rihan was in her class with around forty other students when a bullet pierced through the tent serving as a school, killing her instantly. The incident took place in Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave.
Systematic Targeting of Children
“Ritaj was everything to me, a piece of my heart,” her mother told Canadian media CBC News. Filmed by Palestinian journalist Mustafa Salah, her mother showed the dress she was supposed to wear to her uncle’s wedding, a week later. The Palestinian agency Wafa broadcasted images of her funeral.
“In a new crime that reflects the systematic targeting of Palestinian children and schools, the Israeli occupation forces today assassinated the child Ritaj Abdul Raouf Rihan, a 3rd-grade student,” said the Hamas Education Minister in a tweet.
The Israeli army claimed to be unable to provide details on the child’s death, according to CBC News.
749 Deaths
At least 749 Palestinians have been killed since October 10, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, under the authority of Hamas, whose numbers are considered reliable by the UN.
The Israeli army reported five soldiers killed within its ranks since the beginning of the ceasefire.
