Awdah Hathaleen, a well-known Palestinian activist and teacher, was killed by a bullet from an Israeli settler in the West Bank village of Umm al-Khair, close to Hebron, said local officials and eyewitnesses.
The attack occurred on Monday night during what authorities had termed a settler raid on the village. Hathaleen was a central figure in the resistance against house demolitions in the Masafer Yatta area and was also recognized for his work in the Oscar-winning film No Other Land. The documentary documents the displacement of Palestinian communities by the Israeli military in the region.
The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Education affirmed Hathaleen was indeed killed, adding he was murdered "during a settler attack on Umm al-Khair." Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and Palestinian journalist Basel Adra, co-directors of No Other Land, further affirmed his death.
Adra, Hathaleen's close friend, posted on social media, "My friend Awdah was butchered tonight. He was standing outside the community center in his village when a settler fired a shot that went through his chest and killed him."
Abraham described Hathaleen as "an amazing activist" and posted a video of the attack. He stated that residents had recognized the shooter as Yinon Levi, an Israeli settler who was once sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union. "This is him in the video shooting like crazy," Abraham posted online.
Israeli police confirmed they were probing a death on the outskirts of the illegal settlement of Carmel, which sits alongside Umm al-Khair. In a police statement, an Israeli citizen was arrested after being detained. Four Palestinians and two foreign nationals who were on the scene were also arrested.
Police added that "the death of a Palestinian was confirmed," but said Hathaleen's "exact involvement in the incident" was still being reviewed.
The Wafa Palestinian news agency quoted that a second Palestinian was hurt during the same attack after being assaulted by a settler and was transported to a hospital.
Hathaleen resided in Masafer Yatta, a group of Palestinian villages within an area Israel calls a military firing zone. Residents have long opposed Israeli demolition orders and forced evictions there.
His death is part of a wider rise in settler violence. Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem last week accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and documented a spike in settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, many of which involved weapons and military-style equipment.
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the beginning of Israel's Gaza war in October 2023. In the same timeframe, over 30 Israelis, soldiers, and civilians, have also been murdered within the territory.
