Masafer Yatta, occupied West Financial institution – Awdah Hathaleen was standing by a fence within the Umm al-Kheir neighborhood centre when he was shot within the chest by an Israeli settler on Monday.
The beloved 31-year-old activist and father of three fell to the bottom as folks rushed over to attempt to assist him. Then an ambulance got here out of the close by unlawful settlement of Carmel and took him away.
Israeli authorities have refused to launch his physique for burial, merely telling his household on Monday night time that he had died, depriving them of the closure of laying him to relaxation instantly, as Islam dictates.
Mourning
Underneath the scorching solar of the South Hebron Hills, the folks of Umm al-Kheir had been joined by anti-occupation activists from all around the world – gathered in silence to mourn Awdah, who was a key determine in non-violent resistance towards settler violence in Masafer Yatta.
They got here collectively in the identical yard the place Awdah was standing when he was shot to demise by Israeli settler Yinon Levi, who later mentioned, “I’m glad I did it,” in keeping with witnesses.
Rocks had been laid in a circle round Awdah’s blood on the bottom, mourners stopping there as if paying their respects.
Across the circle, the elders sat in silence, ready for information that didn’t arrive on whether or not Awdah’s physique can be returned by the Israeli military.
There’s a feeling of shock that Awdah, out of all folks, was the one murdered in chilly blood, his cousin Eid Hathaleen, 41, informed Al Jazeera about his “really beloved” relative.
“There was [nobody] who contributed as a lot to the neighborhood in Umm al-Kheir as Awdah,” Alaa Hathaleen, 26, Awdah’s cousin and brother-in-law, mentioned.
“I can’t consider that tomorrow I’ll get up and Awdah gained’t be right here.”
Awdah had three youngsters – five-year-old Watan, four-year-old Muhammad, and seven-month-old Kinan – and he beloved them above all the things else on the planet, a number of of his pals and family informed Al Jazeera.
“He was an important father,” Alaa mentioned. “The youngsters would go to him greater than to their mom.”
Awdah received married in 2019, Jewish Italian activist Micol Hassan informed Al Jazeera over the cellphone. “His marriage ceremony was a wonderful event in 2019. We organised automobiles that got here from throughout Palestine [for it].
“He beloved his youngsters a lot,” she continued. “Each time he put them to sleep, they cried and requested the place their daddy was.”
Hassan, who has been barred from returning to the occupied West Financial institution by Israeli authorities, additionally fondly recalled how a lot Awdah beloved espresso and the way she would convey him packs of Italian espresso each time she was capable of get to Umm al-Kheir.
Awdah additionally beloved soccer, taking part in it each likelihood he received, although Umm al-Kheir’s amenities are badly degraded and all of the villagers have is a paved yard with dilapidated goalposts.
In actual fact, Awdah’s final breaths had been on that very same battered soccer pitch, presumably the one place within the village the place he spent essentially the most time.
Irrespective of how unhealthy settler assaults had been, Alaa mentioned, Awdah would sit down with him and talk about their projections and hopes for his favorite crew, Spanish facet Actual Madrid.
“His love for Actual Madrid ran in his veins,” Alaa added. “Perhaps in the event that they knew how a lot he beloved them, Actual Madrid would discuss Masafer Yatta.”
Peaceable activist and ‘radical humanist’
Awdah has been an activist since he was 17 years outdated, working to cease the Israeli makes an attempt to expel the villagers of Masafer Yatta from their houses and lands.
He hosted numerous visiting activists who got here to the occupied West Financial institution to assist Palestinian activists and villagers, serving to them perceive the scenario on the bottom and embracing their presence together with his trademark hospitality.
Maybe his most well-known such collaboration was his work with Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham, who co-directed No Different Land, a documentary movie that gained an Oscar award this yr.
Everybody who spoke to Al Jazeera remembers him because the kindest individual, with a courageous, peaceable coronary heart.
He was “tayyeb, salim”, they mentioned, utilizing the Arabic phrases for “type” and “peaceable”.
Awdah would inform anybody who got here to Umm al-Kheir that he didn’t select to be an activist; it simply occurred, Hassan informed Al Jazeera, including that he welcomed everybody, no matter religion or citizenship.
“He was a radical humanist,” she mentioned.
“He wished the occupation to finish with out struggling,” mentioned Alaa, including that Awdah all the time considered what the long run would convey for his youngsters and others.
He selected to turn into an English instructor due to that, Eid informed Al Jazeera. He wished the village youngsters to develop up educated and capable of inform the world their story in English, so they might attain extra folks.
“He taught all his college students to like and welcome everybody no matter their religion and origin,” mentioned Eid.
A gaggle of his college students – he taught English from grades one by 9 within the native faculty – huddled collectively locally centre yard among the many mourners, remembering their instructor.
“He would all the time attempt to make lessons enjoyable,” mentioned Mosab, 9 years outdated.
“He made us chuckle,” added his classmate Mohammed, 11.
Murdered by a raging settler
Umm al-Kheir is considered one of greater than 30 villages and hamlets within the West Financial institution’s Masafer Yatta, a area that, greater than any, has seen the results of the growth of settlements and violence linked to it.
The incident that led as much as Awdah’s killing started the day earlier than, recounted activist Mattan Berner-Kadish, who had been in Umm al-Kheir offering protecting presence to the Palestinian neighborhood.
A digger was to be delivered to the unlawful settlement, and the villagers had agreed to coordinate the passage of the equipment with the settlers, to stop any harm to village infrastructure.
However the settler driving the equipment ran over a water pipe and started rolling over different infrastructure, threatening to roll into the city and trigger extra harm.
When villagers gathered to attempt to cease the equipment, the operator used the digger’s claw to hit considered one of them within the head, dropping him to the bottom, semi-conscious.
Awdah was 10-15 metres (30-50 toes) away from the altercation, standing locally centre yard, wanting on.
Within the chaos, gunshots began ringing out, and Berner-Kadish noticed Yinon Levi taking pictures at folks. Amid the screams and panic, he realised that Awdah had been shot.
An Israeli settler simply shot Odeh Hadalin within the lungs, a outstanding activist who helped us movie No Different Land in Masafer Yatta. Residents recognized Yinon Levi, sanctioned by the EU and US, because the shooter. That is him within the video firing like loopy. pic.twitter.com/xH1Uo6L1wN
— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) July 28, 2025
He tried to calm Levi down, telling him that he had immediately shot somebody and certain killed him. To which Levi responded: “I’m glad I did it.”
Berner-Kadish additionally tried to speak to the Israeli troopers who arrived on the scene, solely to listen to from three of them that they wished that they had been those to shoot Awdah.
Following the homicide, the Israeli military arrested 5 males from the Hathaleen household. On Tuesday, the Israeli military closed the realm round Umm al-Kheir, limiting any entry to it.
Additionally on Tuesday, Levi was launched to accommodate arrest by Israeli courts, which charged him with negligent murder.
Levi was sanctioned by Canada, the UK and the US for violent assaults on Palestinians.
The 5 Hathaleen males arrested after Awdah was killed are nonetheless in Israeli custody, Alaa informed Al Jazeera.
Weeping, he fretted: “What if [the Israelis] return [Awdah’s] physique and so they can’t pay their final tribute to them?”
