Overcome by grief
Relatives of Palestinian paramedic Razan Najjar, 21, mourn Saturday at her funeral in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip. Najjar, slain Friday, is the second woman killed by Israeli gunfire since March. After Saturday’s service, dozens of mourners again confronted Israeli soldiers.
KHUZAA, Gaza Strip — Thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of medical workers in white uniforms, took part Saturday in the funeral procession of a colleague who was shot dead by Israeli troops the previous day along the Israel-Gaza border.
Relatives say Razan Najjar, 21, was a volunteer paramedic who had helped evacuate and treat the wounded during weeks of cross-border violence. She is the second woman, out of more than 115 people, killed since the border protest campaign began in late March.
U.N. officials condemned the killing of Najjar, saying that witness reports indicated she wore clothing that clearly identified her as a health worker.
“The killing of a clearly identified medical staffer by security forces during a demonstration is particularly reprehensible,” said Jamie McGoldrick, the local U.N. humanitarian coordinator.
After the funeral, dozens of mourners headed to the border fence and started throwing stones at the Israeli soldiers on the other side. The Palestinian Health Ministry said five protesters were wounded by Israeli fire.
Later Saturday, in a development that threatens to collapse an informal cease-fire, the Israeli military said two projectiles were fired from Gaza. One was intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system and the other landed inside Gaza. Last week, Gaza militants fired a barrage at Israel, which responded with heavy strikes against Gaza installations.
Early today, the Israeli military said fighter jets attacked three Hamas military compounds in response to the rocket fire.
It said it struck a total of 10 targets, including weapons manufacturing and storage sites. Militants responded by firing another projectile that was intercepted, the army said.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the Israeli military said its troops fatally shot a Palestinian who tried to ram a tractor into its forces.
The military said its initial investigation revealed that a 35-year-old Palestinian from a village near Hebron tried to run over an officer with a Bobcat tractor.
The attacker then turned around and tried to attack nearby Israeli civilians, the military said.
It said a soldier opened fire, killing the attacker. No Israeli troops were harmed.
Since 2015, Palestinians have killed more than 50 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks. More than 260 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in that time. Israel says most were attackers. The attacks have tapered off in recent months as the Palestinian focus has shifted toward mass protests at the Gaza border.
On Friday, the Palestinians protested for the 10th week in a row. The military said some people hurled grenades and pipe bombs at troops behind the security fence.
Some 40 Palestinians were wounded, and Najjar was the only one killed.
The Khan Younis hospital said Najjar had a gunshot wound in the chest with an exit wound in the back.
The military said its troops operated “in accordance with standard operating procedures” and that it was investigating the incident.
Israel insists that throughout the weekslong campaign it has opened fire only at instigators and that Hamas has been cynically using the demonstrations as cover to carry out attacks.
On Saturday, the military said it thwarted a Palestinian attempt to damage the security fence surrounding Gaza and a group of militants briefly entered Israel before fleeing back into Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire.
Palestinians and human rights groups have accused Israeli forces of using excessive force on some occasions, and of killing Palestinians who did not pose an imminent threat both in the West Bank and Gaza.
Najjar’s body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag as the funeral procession started from the hospital and passed near her home in Khuzaa, a village near the Khan Younis that is close to the border and has served as one of five protest encampments across Gaza in recent weeks. She was the eldest of six siblings.
“I want the world to hear my voice … what’s my daughter’s fault?” asked her mother Sabreen, dressed in black and seated on a mattress in her living room.
“She will leave a large emptiness at home.”