Israel sentences Palestinian girl to 13 years in prison

Nurhan Awad, 17, has been sentenced to 13 and half years in prison, a year after she allegedly tried to stab an Israeli soldier with a pair of scissors.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society stated that the prison sentence given to Nurhan was the highest penalty demanded by the prosecution in comparison with similar cases. The minor was also fined 30,000 shekels ($7,700).

Nurhan, from the Qalandiya refugee camp in Occupied Jerusalem, is currently one of 12 Palestinian girls held in Israeli prisons.

Nurhan was arrested when she was severely injured after being shot in the chest twice at close range on 23 November 2015 by occupation forces for allegedly attempting to stab a man with scissors. Her cousin, Hadeel, 14, who accompanied her, was shot dead on the spot by Israeli soldiers.

“The cold-blooded murder of mostly children and teens can’t be explained from a security perspective or basic rules of engagement,” Hussam Zomlot, co-founder of the Palestine Strategy Group, said at the time.

Nurhan is the latest Palestinian minor to be handed down a severe sentence; prosecutors sentenced 14-year-old Ahmad Manasra to 12 years in prison after an alleged stabbing last year in which Manasra’s cousin was also shot dead. Hassan’s body was held by Israeli occupation forces for seven months before finally being returned to his family for burial.

There are over 350 Palestinian children currently held in Israeli prisons.

Nurhan Awad’s mother after hearing the prison sentence of her daughter