Video appears to show the moment a Palestinian activist is killed as an Israeli settler opens fire
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Video appears to show the moment a Palestinian activist is killed as an Israeli settler opens fire
Awdah Hathaleen, 31, was shot and killed in the occupied West Bank last month. Israeli settler Yinon Levi is shown firing his gun twice in a video shot by another witness. The earlier video shows him firing two shots from a pistol but doesn’t show where the bullets struck. The shooting occurred in Umm al-Khair, a village profiled in the Oscar-winning film “No Other Land’s” Settler attacks on Palestinians have spiked since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, as have attacks by Palestinian militants. the West Bank since the start of the war in early June. and the Israeli army initially refused to return his body to the village for the funeral, including limiting the number of people and the location of the burial location. After a week of protests, the body was returned and buried a week later, with the body being returned to the settler community.
The video released Sunday by B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, shows Israeli settler Yinon Levi firing a gun toward the person filming. The footage cuts but the camera keeps rolling as the person moans in pain.
B’Tselem says it obtained the video from the family of Awdah Hathaleen, 31, an activist, English teacher and father of three who was shot and killed on July 28, and who they said had filmed it. Levi, who is shown firing his gun twice in a video shot by another witness and obtained by The Associated Press, was briefly detained and then released from house arrest by an Israeli court, which cited lack of evidence.
The shooting occurred in Umm al-Khair, a village that has long weathered settler violence in an area profiled in the Oscar-winning film “No Other Land.” Settler attacks on Palestinians have spiked since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, as have attacks by Palestinian militants.
“Awdah’s killing is another horrific example of how Palestinians, both in Gaza and in the West Bank, are currently living without any sort of protection, fully exposed to Israeli violence, while Israeli soldiers or settlers can kill them in broad daylight and enjoy full impunity while the world watches,” said Sarit Michaeli, the international outreach director for B’Tselem.
Levi was previously under U.S. sanctions that were lifted by the Trump administration.
Both videos appear to show the same confrontation between Levi and a group of Palestinians. The earlier video shows him firing two shots from a pistol but doesn’t show where the bullets struck. Several witnesses had told the AP they saw Levi shoot Hathaleen.
Avichai Hajbi, a lawyer representing Levi, told the AP that Levi acted in self-defense — without specifying what his actions were. Hajbi pointed to a court’s decision earlier this month that released Levi from house arrest, citing insufficient evidence. The judge said Levi did not pose a danger justifying continued house arrest, but barred him from contact with the villagers for a month.
The Israeli police didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about whether they’d seen the videos.
B’Tselem said Levi was with a crew that brought an excavator from a nearby settlement into Umm al-Khair. Residents, fearing it would cut the village’s main water line, gathered on a dirt road to try and block its path, and at least one individual threw a stone at the vehicle’s front window.
Levi then confronted the crowd while waving a handgun.
The new video shows Levi arguing heatedly with three men before firing the gun in the direction of the person filming. Hathaleen was standing at the village community center about 40 meters (130 feet) from the confrontation, said B’Tselem. The bullet hit him in the chest and he collapsed on the spot, it said.
Eitan Peleg, a lawyer for Hathaleen’s family, said they told him Hathaleen had shot the footage on his phone. He said the police asked him for the video, which they hadn’t seen. Peleg said he’s urging the district court to investigate Levi for more serious crimes.
Levi helped establish a settler outpost near Umm al-Khair that anti-settlement activists say is a bastion for violent settlers who have displaced hundreds since the start of the war. Palestinians and rights groups have long accused Israeli authorities of turning a blind eye to settler violence.
In a 2024 interview, Levi told the AP that he was protecting his own land and denied using violence.
After Hathaleen’s killing, Israel’s army initially refused to return his body for burial unless conditions were met for the funeral, including limiting the number of people and the location. After an agreement was made with the police about a week later, Hathaleen’s body was returned and buried.
Hathaleen had written and spoken out against settler violence and had helped produce the Oscar-winning film. Supporters have erected murals in his honor in Rome, held vigils in New York and have held signs bearing his name at anti-war protests in Tel Aviv.
Video appears to show the moment a Palestinian activist is killed as an Israeli settler opens fire
Israel-Hamas war has spiked since the outbreak of the Israel-hamas war, as have attacks by Palestinian militants. Both videos appear to show the same confrontation between Levi and a group of Palestinians. The earlier video shows him firing two shots from a pistol but doesn’t show where the bullets struck. The video shows Levi arguing heatedly with three men before firing the gun in the direction of the person filming. The footage cuts but the camera keeps rolling as the person moans in pain in pain. The film shows a man with a gun and a woman with a knife. The man has a gun in his hand. The woman has a knife in her hand, and the man is holding a gun to her head. The person has a camera and a knife, but the person has no idea what the camera is doing. The camera is rolling, but it’s not showing what the person is doing in the person’s hand or in the viewer’s eye. It’s a confrontation with unarmed Palestinians in the occupied West Bank last month. It was previously under U.S. sanctions that were lifted.
The video released Sunday by B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, shows Israeli settler Yinon Levi firing a gun toward the person filming. The footage cuts but the camera keeps rolling as the person moans in pain.
B’Tselem says it obtained the video from the family of Awdah Hathaleen, 31, an activist, English teacher and father of three who was shot and killed on July 28, and who they said had filmed it. Levi, who is shown firing his gun twice in a video shot by another witness and obtained by The Associated Press, was briefly detained and then released from house arrest by an Israeli court, which cited lack of evidence.
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The shooting occurred in Umm al-Khair, a village that has long weathered settler violence in an area profiled in the Oscar-winning film “No Other Land.” Settler attacks on Palestinians have spiked since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, as have attacks by Palestinian militants.
“Awdah’s killing is another horrific example of how Palestinians, both in Gaza and in the West Bank, are currently living without any sort of protection, fully exposed to Israeli violence, while Israeli soldiers or settlers can kill them in broad daylight and enjoy full impunity while the world watches,” said Sarit Michaeli, the international outreach director for B’Tselem.
Levi was previously under U.S. sanctions that were lifted by the Trump administration.
Both videos appear to show the same confrontation between Levi and a group of Palestinians. The earlier video shows him firing two shots from a pistol but doesn’t show where the bullets struck. Several witnesses had told the AP they saw Levi shoot Hathaleen.
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Avichai Hajbi, a lawyer representing Levi, told the AP that Levi acted in self-defense — without specifying what his actions were. Hajbi pointed to a court’s decision earlier this month that released Levi from house arrest, citing insufficient evidence. The judge said Levi did not pose a danger justifying continued house arrest, but barred him from contact with the villagers for a month.
The Israeli police didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about whether they’d seen the videos.
B’Tselem said Levi was with a crew that brought an excavator from a nearby settlement into Umm al-Khair. Residents, fearing it would cut the village’s main water line, gathered on a dirt road to try and block its path, and at least one individual threw a stone at the vehicle’s front window.
Levi then confronted the crowd while waving a handgun.
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The new video shows Levi arguing heatedly with three men before firing the gun in the direction of the person filming. Hathaleen was standing at the village community center about 40 meters (130 feet) from the confrontation, said B’Tselem. The bullet hit him in the chest and he collapsed on the spot, it said.
Eitan Peleg, a lawyer for Hathaleen’s family, said they told him Hathaleen had shot the footage on his phone. He said the police asked him for the video, which they hadn’t seen. Peleg said he’s urging the district court to investigate Levi for more serious crimes.
Levi helped establish a settler outpost near Umm al-Khair that anti-settlement activists say is a bastion for violent settlers who have displaced hundreds since the start of the war. Palestinians and rights groups have long accused Israeli authorities of turning a blind eye to settler violence.
In a 2024 interview, Levi told the AP that he was protecting his own land and denied using violence.
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After Hathaleen’s killing, Israel’s army initially refused to return his body for burial unless conditions were met for the funeral, including limiting the number of people and the location. After an agreement was made with the police about a week later, Hathaleen’s body was returned and buried.
Hathaleen had written and spoken out against settler violence and had helped produce the Oscar-winning film. Supporters have erected murals in his honor in Rome, held vigils in New York and have held signs bearing his name at anti-war protests in Tel Aviv.
U.S. indicts man accused of killing Israeli embassy staffers with federal hate crimes
Elias Rodriguez is accused of gunning down Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum in May. The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, charges Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. He was heard shouting “Free Palestine” as he was led away after his arrest. Rodriguez had previously been charged with murder of foreign officials and other crimes, and the hate crimes charges were added after prosecutors brought the case to a grand jury, court papers say.
The man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum has been indicted on federal hate crimes charges, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.
The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, charges Elias Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which would allow the Justice Department to potentially pursue the death penalty.
Elias Rodriguez is accused of gunning down Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum in May. He was heard shouting “Free Palestine” as he was led away after his arrest. He told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” federal authorities have said.
Rodriguez had previously been charged with murder of foreign officials and other crimes, and the hate crimes charges were added after prosecutors brought the case to a grand jury. It means prosecutors will be tasked with proving Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism when he opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple who were about to become engaged.
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Prosecutors have described the killing as calculated and planned, saying Rodriguez flew to the Washington region from Chicago ahead of the Capital Jewish Museum event with a handgun in his checked luggage. He purchased a ticket for the event about three hours before it started, authorities have said in court papers.
Witnesses described him pacing outside before approaching a group of four people and opening fire. Surveillance video showed Rodriguez advancing closer to Lischinsky and Milgrim as they fell to the ground, leaning over them and firing additional shots. He appeared to reload before jogging off, officials have said.
After the shooting, authorities say Rodriguez went inside the museum and stated that he “did it.”
“I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,” he spontaneously said, according to court documents. He also told detectives that he admired an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, describing the man as “courageous” and a “martyr.”