A court in Israel has released to house arrest an Israeli settler accused of fatally shooting a Palestinian activist in the occupied West Bank.
The suspect, identified as Yinon Levi, was placed under house arrest on Tuesday after a Magistrate Court in Jerusalem declined to keep him in custody.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Levi faced charges of manslaughter and unlawful firearm use in connection with the killing of 31-year-old Palestinian activist and English teacher Awdah Hathaleen, who was shot dead on Monday night in the village of Umm al-Kheir, south of Hebron.
Hathaleen was well known for his activism, including helping the creators of the Oscar-winning film No Other Land, which documents Israeli settler and soldier attacks on the Palestinian community of Masafer Yatta.
Footage published by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem appears to show Levi opening fire on Hathaleen during a confrontation in the village.
Despite the visual evidence and prior sanctions imposed on Levi by both the European Union and the United States over past attacks on Palestinians, Israeli authorities released him to house arrest.
US President Trump removed the penalties against Levi and other settlers accused of extremist violence after assuming office in January.
Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, one of the co-directors of No Other Land, said that while Yinon was released on house arrest, Hathaleen’s family were arrested.
“After killing Odeh, Yinon pointed at his family and instructed soldiers to arrest 4 of them,” Abraham said in a post on X.
“They are still jailed while he was just released for house arrest. A system which punishes the victims (who are under military law) and rewards the shooter (who is under civilian law),” Abraham added.
Palestinian journalist Basel Adra, who co-directed No Other Land, earlier wrote about his killing on social media.
“My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening,” Adra wrote. “He was standing in front of the community centre in his village when a settler fired a bullet that pierced his chest and took his life,” he said.
“This is how Israel erases us — one life at a time.”
Co-director Abraham described Hathaleen as “a remarkable activist who helped us film No Other Land in Masafer Yatta”.
Abraham also posted a video of the incident and said that “residents identified Yinon Levi, sanctioned by the EU and US, as the shooter”.
“This is him in the video firing like crazy,” Abraham said.
Odeh just died. Murdered. https://t.co/rRWqSa48iN
— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) July 28, 2025
Israeli police acknowledged that they were investigating an “incident near Carmel [al-Karmil]”, an illegal Israeli settlement neighbouring Umm al-Kheir.
“An Israeli citizen was detained at the scene and then arrested by police for questioning,” a police statement said.
Israeli soldiers also arrested four Palestinians “in connection with the incident, along with two foreign tourists who were at the scene”, the police said.
“Following the incident, the death of a Palestinian was confirmed; his exact involvement in the incident is being verified,” the police added.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that a second Palestinian was injured in the attack after being beaten by a settler. He was taken to hospital by ambulance, Wafa added.
Hathaleen was from Masafer Yatta, a string of Palestinian hamlets located on the hills south of Hebron, where residents have fought for decades to remain in their homes after Israel declared the area an Israeli military “firing” or training zone.
Their efforts to prevent Israeli forces from destroying their homes were the subject of No Other Land, which won best documentary at the Oscars in March.
Hathaleen’s killing comes as Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem released a report on Monday accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
B’Tselem also said that there has been an “unprecedented spike in daily attacks by settlers, often armed and equipped with full military gear, on Palestinians in the West Bank”.
“These attacks include arson, theft, home invasions and takeovers, armed threats, beatings, and more,” B’Tselem said, and occur with the support of the “Israeli government and law enforcement agencies”.
About three million Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank, alongside nearly half a million Israelis living in settlements, which are illegal under international law.
Earlier, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said that 27-year-old Mohammad Samer Suleiman al-Jamal succumbed to his wounds after being shot by Israeli forces at a checkpoint at the northern entrance to Hebron on Monday night, the Wafa news agency reported. The Israeli forces left Suleiman al-Jamal to bleed to death and prevented ambulance crews from reaching him, Wafa added.
Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. More than 30 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed in the occupied West Bank during the same period.
