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More than 60 Palestinian women are staging a hunger onslaught to request the merchandise of the assemblage of Palestinian activistic and English teacher Awdah Hathaleen, who was changeable dormant past week successful the colony of Umm al-Kheir, southbound of Hebron successful the occupied West Bank.
Two women person received aesculapian attraction arsenic a effect of the corporate action, which started connected Thursday.
The radical is demanding the unconditional merchandise of the assemblage of the 31-year-old assemblage person who co-directed No Other Land, a documentary movie that won an Oscar grant this year. Israeli constabulary acceptable respective conditions, including holding a speedy and quiescent burial astatine nighttime extracurricular the village, with nary much than 15 radical successful attendance.
The protesters are besides demanding the merchandise of 7 Umm al-Kheir residents arrested by Israeli forces who stay successful administrative detention – a quasi-judicial process nether which Palestinians are held without complaint oregon trial.
Umm al-Kheir is portion of Masafer Yatta, a drawstring of Palestinian hamlets located connected the hills southbound of Hebron, wherever residents person fought for decades to stay successful their homes aft Israel declared the country an Israeli subject “firing” oregon grooming zone.
Iman Hathaleen, Awdah’s cousin, said women aged 13 to 70 were taking portion successful the hunger strike. “Now, arsenic I’m talking, I americium starving and I americium breastfeeding,” she told Al Jazeera. “We volition proceed this until they merchandise the body, truthful that we tin honour him with the close Islamic tradition. We person to grieve him arsenic our religion told america to.”
Awdah was taken by an ambulance to Soroka infirmary successful Beer Sheva connected July 28, wherever helium was pronounced dormant aft having been changeable by an Israeli settler. The constabulary transferred his assemblage to the Abu Kabir National Institute of Forensic Medicine successful Jaffa for an autopsy, which was completed connected Wednesday. They past refused to instrumentality the assemblage unless the household agreed to restrictive conditions connected the ceremonial and burial.
‘A maneuver to interruption their spirit’
Fathi Nimer, a researcher astatine the Al-Shabaka deliberation tank, said Israel’s argumentation of withholding the assemblage of a Palestinian was communal practice. “This is not an isolated incident; determination are hundreds of Palestinians whose bodies are utilized arsenic bargaining chips truthful that their families halt immoderate benignant of activism oregon absorption oregon to interruption the tone of resistance,” Nimer told Al Jazeera.
“Awdah was precise loved successful the village, truthful this is simply a maneuver to interruption their spirit,” helium added.
Meanwhile, Yinon Levi, the Israeli settler accused of firing the deadly shots, was released aft spending a fewer days connected location arrest. A video of the incidental filmed by section activists shows Levi opening occurrence connected Awdah, who died from a gunshot coiled to his chest.
An Israeli settler conscionable changeable Odeh Hadalin successful the lungs, a singular activistic who helped america movie No Other Land successful Masafer Yatta. Residents identified Yinon Levi, sanctioned by the EU and US, arsenic the shooter. This is him successful the video firing similar crazy. pic.twitter.com/xH1Uo6L1wN
— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) July 28, 2025
Residents successful Umm al-Kheir connected Monday documented Levi’s instrumentality to the area. Pictures shared connected societal media groups depicted him overseeing bulldozing enactment alongside service officers astatine the adjacent Carmel settlement.
Levi is among respective Israeli settlers successful the occupied West Bank who were previously sanctioned nether the erstwhile medication of United States President Joe Biden for perpetrating unit against Palestinians.
US President Donald Trump reversed those sanctions successful an enforcement bid soon aft taking bureau for a 2nd word successful January. The United Kingdom and the European Union, however, support sanctions against Levi.
Nimer said sanctions against individuals bash small to halt settler unit and the enlargement of Israel’s amerciable outposts. “It’s not conscionable individuals – determination needs to beryllium existent planetary enactment to authorisation Israel and to halt immoderate of this benignant of behaviour,” helium said.
A ‘continuous trauma’
Iman, Awdah’s cousin, said Levi’s instrumentality makes her disquieted astir her family’s safety. “Today, we are acrophobic that he’s backmost and tin bash this again, possibly helium volition sprout idiosyncratic else,” she told Al Jazeera. Her father, Suleiman Hathaleen, was killed by an Israeli bulldozer successful 2022.
Oneg Ben Dror, a Jaffa-based activistic and person of the Hathaleen family, said the hunger onslaught was a hopeless motion for a assemblage that has mislaid each anticipation of obtaining justness via ineligible means.
“The women consciousness that it’s their mode to protest, it’s a past edifice to bring backmost the body,” she said. “The assemblage needs the anticipation to mourn and… commencement the betterment from this horrible murder.”
She added that the beingness of Levi and different settlers connected the crushed successful Umm al-Kheir was a “continuous trauma and a nightmare for the assemblage and for his wife”, who has been widowed portion caring for 3 young children.
Dozens of left-wing Israeli and planetary activists connected Sunday took portion successful a march successful Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to echo the demands voiced by the hunger strikers. Four activists were arrested during the demonstrations.
The United Nations bureau has reported 757 settler attacks connected Palestinians since January, up 13 percent from 2024, arsenic deaths since January adjacent 1,000.
The Israeli service has besides intensified raids crossed the occupied West Bank and the demolition of hundreds of homes. On Monday, 2 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces successful the municipality of Qabatiya, southbound of Jenin. The Israeli municipality besides issued a demolition bid targeting the location of Palestinian residents successful Silwan, successful occupied East Jerusalem.
Palestinian authorities accidental 198 Palestinians were killed successful the West Bank since the opening of the year, portion 538 were killed successful 2024. At slightest 188 bodies are inactive being withheld by Israeli authorities.
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