West Bank: Israeli forces kill Palestinian sleeping in his home
Israeli forces shot dead a 20-year-old Palestinian man while he slept in his home in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
Jassem al-Sadda was killed in the village of Jit, east of Qalqilya, according to medical workers who confirmed his death.
His family said soldiers opened fire on him without warning and prevented ambulance crews from reaching him.
A wave of grief and shock swept through the village as hundreds gathered at the family home to witness the aftermath of the raid, including the bloodstains that covered the floor of Sadda’s room.
His mother, Haifa al-Sadda, told Middle East Eye that at around 1am, dozens of soldiers stormed the house without knocking. They immediately broke down the door and entered.
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“They rushed straight to Jassem’s room, where he was asleep, and shot him four times without any warning,” she said. “He was left bleeding, and no one was allowed to approach him.”
Haifa added that the soldiers “jumped over the wall surrounding the house, stormed in, and killed Jassem. They then prevented us from seeing or reaching him before vandalising the adjacent room.”
'Jassem was diligent in his work, and everyone loved him'
- Haifa al-Sadda, Palesitnian mother
After confirming his death, the soldiers carried Jassem’s body and handed it over to a Palestinian ambulance crew. His room remained stained with his blood.
“Jassem was diligent in his work, and everyone loved him. He was helpful and obedient to us and to everyone who knew him,” his mother said through tears.
Family sources confirmed that the Israeli army held Sadda’s body for several hours before eventually transferring it to Palestine Red Crescent teams at the village entrance. His body was then taken to Darwish Nazzal Governmental Hospital in Qalqilya.
Sadda was the youngest son in his family and worked as a vendor at a small stall in the village.
On Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of Palestinians gathered in Jit to mourn Sadda, chanting slogans demanding justice for what they called a “heinous crime.”
Settlers arson attacks
Elsewhere, Israeli settlers escalated their attacks on Palestinians and their property across the West Bank.
On Tuesday, the village of al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah, suffered two major assaults.
Settlers first burned 60 dunams of wheat in the town’s western plains before setting fire to 80 dunams of olive, almond, and fig trees in the eastern plains.
Marzouq Abu Naim, a resident, told MEE that villagers were preparing to harvest their wheat when settlers from the nearby Adi Ad outpost attacked them, physically assaulting several people.
The Israeli army then arrived and reportedly joined the settlers, firing tear gas at Palestinians to disperse them. The settlers continued to burn the crops, destroying most of the wheat.
Later that night, settlers returned and set fire to the eastern plain, where the trees were planted. Firefighters were prevented from reaching the fires to put them out.
“The Israeli army stormed the village after the fire and fired tear gas canisters between the houses to terrorise the residents,” Abu Naim added.
The Palestinian News Agency reported that at dawn on Wednesday, settlers infiltrated the village of Rammun, east of Ramallah, setting fire to two vehicles and the wall of a house. They also spray-painted racist slogans on Palestinian homes and raised Israeli flags.
On Tuesday, settlers attacked homes in Qaryut, south of Nablus, setting fire to and destroying seven vehicles.
According to data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, settlers carried out 231 acts of vandalism and theft of Palestinian property in the West Bank during April. These attacks affected large areas of land, resulting in the uprooting of 1,168 olive trees.
Additional reporting by Mohammad Nazzal in Qalqilya
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