The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas has claimed that the killing of a Palestinian girl near the Hawara checkpoint in the north of the West Bank represents a “serious war crime”.

The spokesman for the movement, Sami Abu Zuhri, said in a written statement released yesterday that: “The Israeli crimes will lead the Palestinian people to continue their uprising to defend themselves and develop it by all possible means.”

The statement, which was made available toQuds Press, accused UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of “silence” and of “failure” in the face of Israeli aggression against Palestinian civilians.

The statement also called on Ban Ki-moon to assume his responsibilities and work toward implementing international law.

Yesterday morning, 16-year-old Ashrakat Taha Ahmed Qatanani, a girl from Nablus, was killed near Hawara checkpoint after she was run over by the former head of the Samaria Regional Council Gershon Mesika and shot dead by Israeli soldiers.

(MEMO)