GAZA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A nine-year-old Palestinian girl was killed on Thursday by Israeli army fire inside a school tent in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical sources reported.
Ritaj Rihan, a third-grade student, was killed while attending classes in front of her classmates, causing severe psychological trauma to them, Gaza education authorities said in a statement.
Medical sources at Al-Shifa Hospital confirmed her death to Xinhua.
The education authorities condemned the killing as a "heinous and horrific crime," saying that it reflects "a systematic policy targeting the Palestinian people."
The authorities held Israel "fully responsible" and warned that continued international silence amounts to "complicity in these crimes."
The child's mother Ola Rihan told Xinhua that Ritaj has insisted on attending school because she "wanted to receive an education like the other children."
Rihan added that parents are now afraid to send their children to school.
Teacher Ayman Rihan, holding Ritaj's blood-stained notebook, said, "We suddenly heard the students screaming, so we rushed to the tent to find Ritaj lying face down, blood gushing from her mouth."
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.
In a separate statement on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that on Sunday, they eliminated Abd al-Rahman Ammar Hassan Khudari, a Islamic Jihad terrorist, who planned an attack against IDF troops operating in northern Gaza."
Gaza-based health authorities reported on Thursday that Gaza hospitals received two dead and 21 wounded in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 738, with 2,036 wounded since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025.
The total since October 7, 2023, now stands at 72,317 dead and 172,158 wounded. ■
