By: WIN Staff – WorldIsraelNews.com
In related news, World Israel News reported that two people were killed and four more injured in a construction accident northwest of Jerusalem Monday afternoon.
At least six people, all of them workers employed at the site, were trapped after scaffolding collapsed from the ninth floor of a 12-story building under construction on HaRakefet Street in Givat Ze’ev.
Rescue teams and emergency medical responders from Magen David Adom (MDA) and United Hatzalah were dispatched to the scene to recover and treat the injured.
Two of the victims pulled from the debris were declared dead at the scene, while a third victim suffered moderate injuries. The remaining three victims all suffered light injuries.
“Large pieces of scaffolding collapsed at a construction site,” said United Hatzalah volunteer EMTs Yossi Guthold and Avi Yudakowsky, who were among the first responders at the scene.
“We treated five people who sustained varying degrees of injuries as a result of the collapse, and our ambulance team transported one of them to the hospital. Firefighters pulled one person from the wreckage who was already dead, and there was nothing for us to do to treat him.”
Police officers are searching the debris for any other trapped workers.
According to a report by Channel 12, one of the victims killed in the collapse has been identified as a former terrorist who had been incarcerated in an Israeli prison. He was freed as part of a prisoner exchange with the Hamas terrorist organization in 2011 to secure the release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
Israel released a total of 1,027 prisoners in exchange for Shalit’s return.
The names of the victims killed in the collapse have not been cleared for publication.
The injured workers have been identified as Arab residents of the Palestinian Authority-administered city of Bethlehem.
In related news, World Israel News reported that a senior IDF officer said Monday that an internal IDF investigation revealed that it was possible that the death of a Palestinian teenager was from Israeli fire during a firefight between terrorists and IDF troops in Jenin a day earlier.
16-year-old Jana Zakharn was standing next to an armed terrorist when she was shot, possibly by a Border Police officer, who the unidentified IDF official described as “outstanding” sniper. The sniper misidentified Zakharn and took her for another terrorist as she tried to flee, the officer said.
“A decorated and experienced Border Police sniper spotted two figures on a rooftop. one of whom was armed and opened fire. He shot at one of the figures when she tried to run away. We estimate that she was standing next to one of the armed men, she may have been observed and mistakenly identified as a gunman. Unfortunately, she was killed.”
“The IDF and its commanders regret any harm to non-involved people, even those who are in a combat environment and in the exchange of fire near the armed terrorists. The security forces will continue to act to thwart terrorism wherever necessary while making an effort to avoid harming those who are not involved,” the IDF said in a statement.
“The claim that security forces shot at uninvolved people on purpose is unfounded and baseless,” the IDF added.
Zakarna’s death is still under investigation.
