Mourners grieve in Tulkarem for 13 year old girl, killed yesterday by an Israeli soldier

December 20, 2006

Tulkarem - Ma'an - Palestinians in Tulkarem have participated in the funeral of the young girl, Do'a Nasser Hamid, 13, who was killed by Israeli soldiers in the village of Far'un, south of Tulkarem, on Tuesday.

The body of the girl was borne aloft on the shoulders of the men of the village, who lead the funeral procession from Thabit hospital amid angry calls for revenge for her killing.

Leading the mourners were the mother and the sister of the girl, in addition to her relatives and schoolmates, raising Palestinian flags and shouting slogans for unity and an end to bloodshed.

The coffin was carried through the streets of the city before heading to the cemetery.

Do'a's father was not able to attend the funeral as he is currently incarcerated in an Israeli jail. His appeal to prison authorities to attend the funeral was rejected.

Do'a's schoolmates organized a demonstration condemning the crime, which they said was "committed by the Israeli soldiers in cold blood", the demonstrating girls visited the classroom where the girl used to study.

Do'a was killed by an Israeli sniper in a watchtower while she was playing with her friends near the separation wall. According to local sources, Israeli soldiers prohibited a Palestinian ambulance to approach her for almost one hour, during which time she continued to bleed, until she died.