Israel releases settler who killed Palestinian activist, imposes restrictions on funeral

Three days after Palestinian peace activist Awdah Hathaleen, 31, was shot and killed by an Israeli settler during a violent incursion into his home village of Umm al-Khair in South Hebron, the settler has been released, and the Israeli military is now imposing restrictions on the funeral while refusing to release Hathaleen's body.

The Israeli army claims the measures are necessary to prevent unrest, but the Hathaleen family has rejected the pretext, demanding the funeral take place without any limitations.

On Tuesday, the Israeli Magistrates Court released the killer, Yinon Levi, to house arrest, accepting his claim that he acted in "self-defence".

Hathaleen, a well-known teacher, activist and father of three, was also involved in the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.

He was shot in the chest by Levi on Monday, during a settler raid on private land belonging to residents of Umm al-Khair, a small hamlet in Masafer Yatta that has long been targeted by Israeli settlers.

Levi, who drove an excavator into the village, reportedly damaged water infrastructure and threatened to cause further destruction. According to Al Jazeera, he struck Hathaleen's brother Ahmad in the head with the digger's claw, knocking him semi-conscious as he tried to intervene.

Speaking to The New Arab’s Arabic language edition, Khalil Hathaleen, head of Umm al-Khair's local council and Awdah’s brother, said Levi, a settler sanctioned by the US, UK and EU, had falsely claimed self-defence.

"The [settlers] always play the victim, but the occupation's narrative is completely refuted. At the moment he was martyred, Awdah was far from the settler and holding his phone to document the attack," Khalil said, citing eyewitness testimony and widely circulated video footage.

Doctors pronounced Hathaleen dead shortly after he was transferred to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. His body remains in Israeli custody.

"We are following up with a lawyer who holds Israeli citizenship and an Arab doctor, but the Israeli police are deliberately stalling and delaying the process," Khalil added.

According to Ynet News, the Israeli military is engaged in ongoing talks with the family about funeral arrangements. The army has reportedly demanded that the number of mourners be limited, that flags and chants deemed "inciteful" be banned, and that the burial take place in a "legal" cemetery in Masafer Yatta, not in Umm al-Khair, which Israel designates as a "disputed" area.

The family insists the funeral be held in Umm al-Khair, which lies in Area C of the occupied West Bank and has been declared "state land" by Israel, a legal tactic long used to seize Palestinian territory.

They are also demanding that no restrictions be placed on attendance.

Residents of Umm al-Khair fear their village may face the same fate as Khirbet Khilet al-Dabe, another village in Masafer Yatta that was forcibly emptied and declared a closed military zone just two months ago. Despite the risks, Hathaleen’s family and neighbours say they will not be intimidated.

"We will continue pursuing this case by every means. Awdah was no ordinary person - he was a well-known peace activist in the area with strong ties to journalists and international supporters," Khalil said, suggesting that his public profile may have made him a target.

Since the killing, 13 Palestinians from the Hathaleen family and two foreign activists have been arrested by Israeli forces.

So far in 2025, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has documented 757 settler attacks resulting in injury or property damage, a 13 percent increase over the same period last year.

This article is based on two articles that appeared in our Arabic edition by Naif Zaydani on 31 July 2025 and Malik Nabil on 30 July 2025, with additional reporting.

To read the original articles click here and here.