Teenager Critically Wounded by Gunfire in Kiryat Arba

By Hamodia Staff

YERUSHALAYIM − A teenage girl was shot and seriously wounded in Kiryat Arba on Thursday in unclear circumstances and was taken to hospital in critical condition, according to media reports

It was suspected that errant gunfire from the adjacent city of Chevron was the cause of the injury to 14-year-old Tamar Aharon, reported Ynet, saying that the entry wound was on the top of her head, suggesting the bullet was fired from Chevron into the air, and landed on the girl.

However, the origin of the bullet has not been confirmed, and the military had launched an investigation.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said that Aharon was hit while walking down a street in the Kiryat Arba and was first brought to a local health clinic.

Dr. Morris Matityahu, a specialist in family medicine, was quoted by The Jerusalem Post as saying: “A cleaning worker who met her at the entrance took her in immediately, and while she was still conscious, brought her to a treatment room, where I gave her initial treatment and tried to locate the source of the bleeding which was very heavy. At the same time, an ambulance was called, which arrived within a few minutes, and upon its arrival, the girl lost consciousness, started convulsing, was treated immediately and evacuated,” he said.

MDA said its medics then took her to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Yerushalayim for further treatment.

A Hadassah spokesperson stated that the girl has undergone an operation and was presently intubated and sedated in the children’s intensive care unit of the hospital.

Residents of Kiryat Arba have long complained about gunfire coming from Palestinians in Chevron toward their community, according to The Times of Israel.

“We demand that security forces carry out scans and find the source of the shooting,” a spokesperson said in a statement following the incident.