An illegal Israeli settler remained at liberty after fatally shooting Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in Hebron in the occupied West Bank last year, according to a forensic investigation released on Wednesday by the Palestinian rights group Al-Haq.
The investigation found that Yinon Levi unlawfully shot Hathaleen, 31, in Umm al-Kheir village in Masafer Yatta on July 28 2025, despite facing no imminent threat.
According to the report, Hathaleen was standing behind the fence of the village's community centre, filming events with his mobile phone, when Levi shot him from about 30 metres away.
"The shooting occurred in the absence of any imminent threat to Levi's life," the investigation concluded, noting that Hathaleen was unarmed, physically separated from a confrontation near an excavator and "posed no danger at the time he was shot."
The report said Levi stepped away from people around him, fully extended his arm and aimed his firearm at Hathaleen before firing at 5:29 pm (1429GMT). The bullet struck the activist in the chest.
It said Levi fired a second shot towards nearby residential buildings five seconds later before reloading his weapon as residents carried Hathaleen to an ambulance.
Investigation reconstructs shooting
The investigation said the weapon used was consistent with an IWI Masada 9 mm semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Israel Weapon Industries.
According to the report, the incident began after an excavator entered privately owned Palestinian land and damaged trees and a fence. Its operator, identified as Rony Avraham, allegedly struck Hathaleen's cousin Ahmad on the head with the machine's hydraulic hammer.
The investigation said Israeli military and police forces did not treat Levi or Avraham as criminal suspects.
It found that Levi "was not restrained or arrested in a manner consistent with standard arrest procedures," while Avraham was not apprehended.
According to the report, an Israeli court later ordered Levi's release under three days of house arrest after partially accepting his claim of self-defence.
The report said Levi was "allowed to remain at liberty despite the killing of Awdah Hathaleen."
It added that witness testimony and open-source material indicated Levi returned to the village three days later to continue excavation work, while Israeli authorities withheld Hathaleen's body for about 10 days.
It accused Israeli forces and police of "operational alignment with the settlers' actions," alleging they protected the Israelis involved and failed to take law enforcement measures against them.
The report also said video footage showed Israelis obstructing an ambulance attempting to reach Hathaleen, while Levi pointed out Palestinian residents to Israeli forces, who subsequently detained them.
Al-Haq said its investigation synchronised and geolocated more than 60 videos, photographs and witness testimonies, cross-checking them with legal interviews and spatial evidence.
Army raids memorial event
The Israeli army raided the community centre in Umm al-Kheir on Tuesday during an event marking the first anniversary of Hathaleen's killing.
Local activists, foreign and Israeli supporters, and journalists had gathered for the memorial, village council head Khalil Hathaleen told Anadolu.
"The Israeli army stormed the centre, declared the area a 'closed military zone' and demanded that the event be ended, but the participants completed it," he said.
He said Israeli soldiers also assaulted Ofer Cassif, a member of the Israeli Knesset from the left-wing Hadash party, during the raid.
Following Hathaleen's killing last year, the Israeli army prevented the village from holding a mourning gathering and forced mourners, journalists and supporters to leave after declaring the area a "closed military zone."
Hathaleen was a teacher with the Palestinian education ministry and the father of three children, the eldest of whom was six at the time of his death.
He also contributed to the production of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, which won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and chronicles Israel's displacement of Palestinians and home demolitions in Masafer Yatta.
