Palestinian Activist and Footballer Odeh Hathaleen Shot Dead by Israeli Settler in West Bank
Umm al-Kheir, West Bank | July 28, 2025 — Palestinian activist and footballer Odeh Mohammad al-Hathaleen, 31, was fatally shot by a known Israeli settler, Yinon Levi, during a confrontation in the village of Umm al-Kheir, located in the Masafer Yatta region of the occupied West Bank.
The shooting occurred amid heightened tensions tied to ongoing demolitions carried out by Israeli authorities. Levi, who has previously been sanctioned by the European Union and the United States for acts of violence against Palestinians, was identified by multiple eyewitnesses as the shooter.
According to residents, Israeli soldiers who arrived on the scene did not arrest the gunman. Instead, they allegedly arrested several Palestinians whom Levi pointed out, deepening outrage and fueling accusations of systemic complicity. One witness claimed a soldier remarked they wished it had been them who pulled the trigger.
Odeh, known affectionately as Awdah by friends and colleagues, was not only a beloved activist but also a father of three and a footballer who played for local clubs in Masafer Yatta and Susiya. His eldest child is only six years old.
He gained international recognition for his work defending Palestinian land rights and his role in the documentary No Other Land, which highlighted the struggles of residents in Masafer Yatta against forced displacement.
Tributes poured in from across Palestine and abroad. One close friend wrote, “He was a father, an activist, a friend, a human being. One of the most wonderful people I knew. My friend is dead. Remember his name. And fight.”
The killing has intensified calls for international accountability and renewed demands to dismantle what critics describe as Israel’s apartheid and settler-colonial regime.
There has been no official arrest or indictment of Yinon Levi at the time of reporting.
— The Brief Post.
