A 26-year-old Palestinian man from Salem, east of Nablus, was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Sunday at the concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem as he tried to cross into Israel for work. The shooting happened in al-Ram, where
A Palestinian man was shot and killed on Sunday at a concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem as people tried to cross, Palestinian officials said, underscoring the deadly risk faced by workers seeking entry to Israel.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man as 26-year-old Imad Haroun Ishtayeh, from the village of Salem east of the city of Nablus. The ministry said Israeli forces shot him in the thigh in al-Ram town, and he was pronounced dead at the Palestinian Medical Complex in Ramallah.
Footage circulating online showed people carrying his body and climbing down a ladder placed against the wire-topped barrier, while traffic continued to move and a horn blared.
Israeli police did not immediately respond about the shooting.
Ishtayeh was attempting to cross from the West Bank to Israel. The Palestinian Health Ministry said many people have been shot trying to cross the barrier, including a 44-year-old father killed earlier this month.
A relative, Nasser Ishtayeh, said Imad Haroun Ishtayeh previously ran a poultry slaughterhouse in Salem and had been financially supporting his ill father. The relative said business deteriorated as an economic crisis hit the West Bank, pushing him to try to cross into Israel in search of a job.
According to Nasser Ishtayeh, Israeli security was especially tight on the man’s first attempt on Saturday. After spending the night with other Palestinians hoping to cross, Haroun Ishtayeh tried again on Sunday morning and was shot.
“He was directly shot with live bullets and died at the hospital,” Nasser Ishtayeh said.
The barrier has become a focal point for desperate attempts to reach work. An increasing number of Palestinians from the West Bank have tried to enter Israel illegally in recent years. Tens of thousands of Palestinians previously held Israeli work permits. but access has been sharply restricted since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.
Since then, unemployment in the West Bank has surged amid an economic slowdown. The Palestinian official WAFA news agency reported Sunday. citing the General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions. that around 50 workers have been killed by Israeli fire and that over 38. 000 people have been arrested. though many were later released.
The day’s violence also extended beyond the barrier.
Two Palestinians were killed and at least 10 injured when a group of people was struck near the port in Gaza City, according to Shifa hospital, which received the casualties. There was no immediate comment from Israel’s military.
A fragile ceasefire remains in place between Israel and the militant Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza.
In the West Bank. emergency responders said a 17-year-old Israeli girl was in serious condition and a 15-year-old teen was also hurt in what police described as a ramming attack near a bus stop at Gush Etzion Junction. Israel’s military said a soldier “eliminated the terrorist on site.” It also said a third Israeli civilian was hurt.
West Bank barrier Jerusalem Imad Haroun Ishtayeh Salem al-Ram Ramallah Israeli forces Palestinians work permits Gaza ceasefire Hamas Gush Etzion Junction ramming attack
Sounds like another tragedy at that barrier.
Wait they shot him just for trying to get to work?? How is that supposed to be normal. I don’t get it. Also why does the article keep saying barrier like it’s a road?
So the guy was trying to cross the barrier into Israel for a job, and they shot him in the thigh… but he died. That’s messed up, but I’m also like… if security is “tight” then people shouldn’t climb ladders? Idk I feel bad either way. The footage sounds insane though, horns and people carrying the body like it’s just traffic.
This happens every time and people still act surprised. It’s always the barrier, like that thing is the problem not whatever system they got going on. If he was from Salem and used to run a slaughterhouse, that means they’re targeting regular folks for being poor right? And “live bullets” like he didn’t even get a warning? I saw something online earlier that said it was a protest thing but now it’s “for work,” so… either way, seems like nobody can win.