Ramallah, Feb 13 (IANS): Israel Friday released a Palestinian school girl who was held for nearly two months in an Israeli jail, a Palestinian official said.

The Israeli army freed 14-year-old Malak al-Khatib at an army roadblock near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, Essa Qaraqea, head of the Palestinian prisoners' affairs department, told Xinhua news agency.

The young girl is from Ramallah.

Israeli army personnel arrested al-Khatib in her school uniform Dec 31 on claims that she was holding a knife and throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.

A military court sentenced al-Khatib to two months in jail and fined her family $1,600.

The Palestinian ministry of education slammed Israel and described the detention of al-Khatib as an awful crime that violated the rights of children.

The movement to defend children, which is active in the Palestinian territories, said in a report published Jan 17 that the year 2014 was the hardest year for Palestinian children who suffered Israeli violations.