Israel kills Palestinian worker as he climbed West Bank separation wall
The Israeli army on Sunday shot dead a Palestinian worker as he climbed the separation wall in the occupied West Bank in an attempt to enter Jerusalem in search of work.
The Palestinian health ministry said Imad Haroun Ishtayeh, 27, was killed after being shot in the thigh, severing a main artery, near the town of al-Ram, north of Jerusalem.
Ishtayeh was from the village of Salem near Nablus in the northern West Bank.
Videos showed other workers carrying a wounded Ishtayeh down from the top of the ladder before an ambulance took him to the hospital.
Doctors performed surgery to repair the artery but were unable to save him, and he was later pronounced dead, local media reported.
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His cousin, Nasser Ishtayeh, told Middle East Eye that Imad had owned a poultry shop in his village but was forced to close it due to the difficult economic situation.
He said Imad had not tried to enter the occupied territories for the past two years. On Saturday, he left his village and attempted to cross the separation wall but was unsuccessful. He tried again on Sunday afternoon, when he was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers.
"Imad was incredibly kind, always joking and laughing, and always eager to help people. Everyone in the village loved him so much that they rushed to the hospital in Ramallah as soon as they heard he had been shot," Nasser added.
Imad was one of three brothers, and his father is battling cancer. He had been looking for work to help improve his family's circumstances.
"Imad had built a house and was planning to get engaged. I remember him telling me that after the engagement, he and his future fiancee would decorate their home together so they could choose the furniture and every detail themselves. But he was killed before he could realise that dream," Nasser said.
A systematic policy
According to Shaher Saad, head of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, Imad is the fifth worker killed by Israeli forces this year while attempting to reach the other side of the controversial barrier.
The number of workers killed while trying to reach their workplaces in Israel since 7 October 2023 has reached 52.
Abdul Hadi Abu Taha, a member of the federation's general secretariat, told MEE that the targeting of Palestinian workers is systematic.
He said that what is happening is a result of policies implemented by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has allowed the Israeli police to target Palestinians trying to enter Israel in search of work.
"The targeting of Palestinian workers is real and ongoing. The Israeli army and police raid workplaces, assault them, imprison many, and shoot them. Some have even been killed after being severely beaten," Abu Taha added.
Abu Taha said Israeli soldiers have been ordered to shoot at any worker attempting to climb the separation wall in al-Ram.
A report by the Ocha, the UN relief coordination office, found that more than 290 Palestinian workers have been injured while attempting to cross the separation wall to reach their workplaces in occupied East Jerusalem and Israel.
Most Palestinian work permits were cancelled or suspended following the outbreak of the war in October 2023.
The Israeli decision has deprived hundreds of thousands of Palestinian workers of their livelihoods in the occupied territories.
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