Palestinian teenager Jana Zakarneh was shot four times by Israeli sniper as she fetched her cat

A Palestinian girl shot dead by Israeli forces on Sunday was fetching her cat from the roof of her home when she was repeatedly targeted by a sniper, casting serious doubts over Israel's narrative about her killing.

Jana Zakarneh, 16, was alone on the roof late on Sunday in the city of Jenin, the occupied West Bank, when an Israeli sniper positioned in an empty building targeted her, relatives told AFP.

She became the 36th Palestinian child killed by Israel this year and the 224th Palestinian to lose their life in 2022.

"She went up [to the roof] to fetch her cat and never came back, so her brother went up to look for her; he opened the door and found Jana lying here on her back," said Jana's uncle, 28-year-old Yasser Mahmoud Zakarneh.

Describing his niece's wounds, he said she was "shot with four bullets in deadly spots: in the head, the face, and twice in the chest. They have truly killed childhood".

A white cat was seen walking around the rooftop, where there was a pool of blood and yellow tape marking what the Zakarneh family said were bullet holes.

Israel on Monday said its forces "unintentionally" shot Jana dead during a raid in Jenin, a city where dozens of Palestinians have been killed in recent months.

The Israeli army claimed it came under fire during an operation to arrest three people "suspected of terror involvement".

"The girl who was killed was hit by unintentional fire aimed at armed gunmen on a roof in the area from which the force was fired upon," an army statement said, adding that no troops were hurt.

The military alleged she had been on the roof while gunmen were positioned nearby.

However, cousin and neighbour Salah Al-Zayed rejected claims that Jana was shot accidentally, saying she was far from the battlefield and there were no militants nearby.

Al-Zayed said she had gone to search for her cat when she was targeted. He said the family heard gunshots but did not know she was on the roof, and only found her body about an hour later after the Israeli army withdrew.

Claims made by Israel's army following civilian deaths have often been proven to be false, including in the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May.

Immediately after her death, Israeli officials circulated video footage of Palestinian militants firing in an alleyway, suggesting they might have killed her.

The officials backtracked hours later when it was revealed that the militants were hundreds of metres away with no line of sight to her position, something troops would have known in real-time.

In September, the Israeli army said there was a "high possibility" Abu Akleh was "accidentally" shot dead by a soldier who mistook her for a militant.

'Biased' coverage

The BBC came under fire for its coverage of Jana's killing, with many Twitter users criticising the headline used by the broadcaster - "Palestinian girl shot dead on roof of West Bank home" - which didn't address who had killed her.

This was later changed to "Israel says likely killed Palestinian girl in error" after the Israeli military admitted responsibility. The new headline still came under criticism.

The new headline does not even lead with the fact that a 16 year old Palestinian girl was shot. Instead, it leads with the claim that Israel "likely" killed her "in error". That is the BBC parroting the Israeli propaganda / line. That is not a neutral report about what happened. pic.twitter.com/5ZAI9gfmtr

— Miqdaad Versi (@miqdaad) December 13, 2022

"The new headline does not even lead with the fact that a 16-year-old Palestinian girl was shot," Muslim Council of Britain spokesperson Miqdaad Versi tweeted.

"Instead, it leads with the claim Israel 'likely' killed her 'in error'. That is the BBC parroting the Israeli propaganda/line. That is not a neutral report about what happened."

In response to a request for comment from The New Arab, a BBC spokesperson said: "The story and headline were updated as new details emerged, and we continue to monitor the story.

"The article includes a prominently positioned statement from the Palestinian PM."

In a sign there would likely not be accountability for Jana's killing, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said troops wouldn't be interrogated about her shooting, Al Jazeera reported.

The army said that its commanders "regret any harm to uninvolved civilians", but said that it would press ahead with its operations.