Video Shows Israeli Settler Killing Palestinian Activist in West Bank

An Israeli human-rights group, B’Tselem, has released video footage that appears to capture the moment Israeli settler Yinon Levi fatally shot Palestinian activist and English teacher Awdah Hathaleen on 28 July in the village of Umm al-Khair in the Masafer Yatta area of the occupied West Bank. The clip, recorded on Hathaleen’s mobile phone, shows Levi arguing with residents and then firing his handgun toward the camera; the image cuts as Hathaleen, 31, is struck. Levi was detained after the incident and placed under brief house arrest but an Israeli court later released him, citing insufficient evidence. Lawyers for Hathaleen’s family have asked the district court to reopen the case in light of the new material, while Levi’s attorney maintains he acted in self-defence. The shooting came during a confrontation sparked by settlers bringing an excavator into the village, which residents feared would damage essential water infrastructure. Rights groups say settler attacks have intensified since the Israel-Hamas war, with United Nations data recording hundreds of incidents in the West Bank so far this year. Hathaleen, a father of three, had campaigned against settler violence and contributed to the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land.” His body was held for more than a week before being returned for burial on 7 August. B’Tselem said the video underscores what it calls widespread impunity for violence against Palestinians.