There was once a little girl named Iman; she lived in Jabaliya Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. During the latest incursion on her village, life went on as usual, despite all the violence. Iman got up in the morning, ate breakfast and went to school. Little did she know that on Oct. 5, 2004, she would do that for the last time.

On her way to school she was carrying a schoolbag like any other student. An Israeli officer caught sight of her and assumed the bag was full of explosives. The cruel barbarian shot the child 20 times, five times in the head.

Iman was shot 20 times, but the first shot was enough to cause her to collapse. The officer who shot her actually went to find her, and as she laid on the ground, completely helpless, he shot her 19 more times. Iman’s poor, lifeless body was ripped apart by those evil bullets.

One shot wasn’t enough. A point needed to be made with this innocent girl’s life. I wonder what that soldier was thinking and how he would react if it had been his little daughter or sister who had been so viciously murdered. Some reports say that he was getting rid of all the negative energy created by so-called Palestinian terrorists. Only a lunatic would do what he did.

Sick people kill children. It doesn’t matter what side they’re with.

What makes this incident unique is the sheer evilness. Other soldiers, according to the BBC, were outraged by their commander’s actions. An investigation has been launched by the Israeli Defense Forces.

We see that it is a serious offense, not only because of obvious reasons, but also because the soldiers are criticizing one of their own as having gone too far.

After all was said and done, the IDF reported that the bag had nothing close to explosives – just papers and books. Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, reports, “The army’s explanation of the incident was that the soldiers who fired believed the girl to be a terrorist and that her schoolbag contained explosives.”

Every Palestinian is a terrorist in the eyes of an Israeli soldier, which some can argue is the result of suicide bombings and random attacks on settlers and Israeli citizens.

Let’s remember that settlers are on land that is not their own. Why shouldn’t the Palestinians try to take back the land stolen from them?

When will Israel realize that if they just gave back the land they took and remove their settlers out of Palestinian areas, the violence will end?

Why does Hamas get so much support? They help people because they offer solutions, probably not the best, but solutions nonetheless. If Palestinians could live on their rightfully owned land peacefully without the daily harassment of the IDF, they would not be so quick to fight the Israelis. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Palestinians want peace. The militants, just like militants all over the world, keep their eye on the target, especially if they have support. Get rid of the need to support them, and they will cease to exist as a problem.

Vicious attacks on both sides are happening far too often.

When will the madness end? I find myself asking it every day.

This problem needs to be solved quickly. Today, it’s 13-year-old Iman; tomorrow, it’s the maternity ward of Palestinian hospitals.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.