A 13-year-old boy who was shot several days ago in the Israeli-Arab town of Jisr al-Zarqa was pronounced dead on Tuesday morning at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Hadera.
The boy was fatally injured after being shot in the chest while trying to escape a gunfight taking place close to where he was. At the time of the incident, the minor was in a pizzeria in the town and tried to escape after hearing gunshots, for fear of being hurt.
However, as he was running from the scene, he was shot in the chest and critically wounded, and passed away in hospital on Tuesday morning.
From a preliminary investigation, police have concluded that the boy was likely panicking as a result of the noise from the shootings, and so ran in the wrong direction.
"Unfortunately, while he was trying to escape, he ran in the wrong direction and was shot," a senior police official said. "The age is getting younger and younger, both of the victims and of those using the weapons. Just yesterday, two minors were arrested on suspicion of throwing explosives, while this week a 17-year-old was injured in a shooting, and now a 13-year-old."
"This situation is getting more and more alarming," he said. "The police are doing everything to thwart these events and arrest the criminals."