Israeli Settler Kills Palestinian Activist Amid West Bank Rising Tensions

Awdah Hathaleen, a prominent Palestinian human rights activist and father of three, was fatally shot by an Israeli settler in broad daylight near his home in Umm al-Kheir, Masafer Yatta, sparking outrage and demands for justice. Israeli authorities have not returned his body, imposing restrictions on his funeral, which has led to a hunger strike by over seventy local women protesting both the killing and the detention of several village residents. Amnesty International condemned the killing as part of Israel's sustained policy of forcibly expelling Palestinian communities and called for independent international investigations into settler violence and the failure of Israeli authorities to protect Palestinians. Witnesses and activists report that the settler involved, Yinon Levi, is a known figure previously sanctioned by Western governments, and the incident occurred amid escalating settler violence in the area. Israeli military statements claim the shooting happened during a rock-throwing incident, but multiple eyewitnesses and human rights groups dispute the official narrative, highlighting ongoing tensions and violence in the occupied West Bank. International activists and local residents emphasize the systematic nature of the violence and dispossession faced by Palestinians in Masafer Yatta and similar areas, underscoring the dire humanitarian situation under Israeli occupation.