A Palestinian teacher was shot dead by an Israeli settler, according to eyewitnesses and authorities. Odeh Hathaleen, a teacher at a local secondary school, died after being targeted by Yinon Levy, who is sanctioned by the UK. The incident occurred in Umm Al-Khair village in the occupied West Bank.
Eyewitness Mattan Berner-Kadish reported seeing Levy driving a bulldozer through private Palestinian land, crushing a sewage pipe and olive trees, before hitting his cousin Ahmad with a drill. Meanwhile, Hathaleen’s cousin Ahmad was also injured during the incident.
Berner-Kadish heard a pop while attending to Ahmad’s injuries and saw Hathaleen lying bleeding from a gunshot wound. He identified Levy as the person holding a gun at the scene.
Police are investigating the incident and have detained an Israeli citizen for questioning, while five Palestinians and two foreign tourists remain in detention. The Palestinian education ministry has confirmed that Hathaleen was a teacher who helped film the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.
The killing is part of a surge in settler violence in the West Bank, which has risen sharply since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in 2022. Israeli authorities have warned about the danger posed by illegal construction in the area, and settlements are considered illegal under international law.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c776x78517po