Two Palestinian teenage girls have been shot dead during alleged attacked by Israeli Police in the occupied West Bank and West Jerusalem.
The incident happened near Mahane Yehuda, a popular outdoor market in downtown Jerusalem and caused a panicked scene in the busy area. Purported CCTV footage of the incident showed that the two teenagers were carrying scissors at the time they were shot dead.
Hadeel Awwad, 16, was shot dead by an Israeli security guard, while her 14-year-old cousin Norhan Awwad was seriously wounded during an alleged stabbing incident. Israeli media alleged that the two girl stabbed a Israeli man with scissors.
Hadeel Awad’s elder brother was killed two years ago by Israelis, according to the Middle East Eye.”Rather than seeking revenge, Hadeel responded to the tragedy by deciding to become a doctor, said Hadeel sister”.
“The school principal called the house and said Hadeel and Norhan didn’t show up at school. And I said, No, they left the house, they went to school,'” Maleeha recalled. “After a while, we heard there was an attack in Jerusalem.”
The youngest sibling among 16, Hadeel was a strong student and recently came first in her school term, scoring an average of 94 percent in her classes. Quiet and headstrong, Hadeel was ambitious, focused and driven, her relatives said.
Menal, who often spent Fridays with Hadeel, said that last week she seemed like a happy, funny teenager.
Hadeel teacher says, “She was not poor. She was not very political. She did not want to end her life. She was happy; she was a good student. There’s no explanation for the claim of Israeli Media that she tried to stabbed a man”.
All student at her School paid tribute to Hadeel. “May she rest in peace,” the girls whispered. Some wiped away tears.
On the walls in Qalandia refugee camp, local children have plastered posters of Hadeel Awad. The footage has troubled the Awad family, who believe that the armed men used excessive force against the teenagers.