Rafiq Riyad Ghannam
Rafiq Riyad Ghanem died from gunshot wounds inflicted by Israeli soldiers. He was shot with two live rounds by undercover Israeli forces while standing near his home.
Rafiq Riyad Ghanem was killed as a result of live gunfire by Israeli soldiers during a military incursion into his hometown of Jaba’, south of Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank. According to eyewitness accounts and his family, Rafiq had stepped outside his home after hearing a disturbance in the area. He was not involved in any protests or confrontations at the time. He was wearing only shorts and a tank top, indicating he was likely caught off guard and unprepared for any engagement with military forces.
As he stood near his house, undercover Israeli soldiers—who had infiltrated the town and were positioned behind him—shot him with two live bullets, striking him critically. Rather than allowing emergency responders or Palestinian medics to reach him, the soldiers seized his body and prevented medical aid, denying him potentially life-saving treatment. Hours later, the Israeli District Coordination Office contacted the Palestinian side to inform them that Rafiq had died from his wounds while in Israeli custody.
The nature of his killing—shot in a civilian area, while unarmed and uninvolved in any resistance—raises serious concerns regarding the rules of engagement used by Israeli forces and the continued pattern of targeting Palestinians during raids, even those who are not actively confronting soldiers. His death was not only the result of gunshot wounds but also compounded by the deliberate denial of medical care, making it both a case of lethal force and medical neglect.
Biography
Rafiq Riyad Ghanem was a 20-year-old Palestinian from Jaba’ town, located south of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank. He was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers on July 6, 2022, near his home during a military invasion of the town. Though not participating in protests, he was fatally shot while stepping outside his house, wearing shorts and a tank top. Rafiq came from a family deeply affected by the Israeli occupation: his brother Ayham is a political prisoner, his other brother Mohammad is a former prisoner, his uncle Hani served 18 years in Israeli prison, his aunt Ni’ma was killed by Israeli forces twenty years earlier, and his grandfather was killed in 1948. His death marked him as the fourth Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in the first six days of July 2022.
Rafiq Riyad Ghanem was a 20-year-old Palestinian youth from Jaba’, a town located just south of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank. On July 6, 2022, Rafiq was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers during a military raid on his hometown. According to eyewitnesses and his family, Rafiq was not taking part in any protest or confrontation. He had simply stepped out of his family home, dressed in shorts and a tank top, to check on a disturbance he heard outside. Unbeknownst to him, undercover Israeli soldiers were positioned behind him, and without warning, they shot him with two live rounds. Medical sources reported that he was critically wounded and denied immediate medical assistance as soldiers took him away before Palestinian medics could reach him. Later, the Israeli District Coordination Office informed Palestinian officials that Rafiq had succumbed to his wounds.
Rafiq's death is part of a broader story of generational suffering under occupation. He was the brother of political prisoner Ayham Ghanem, who had been recently arrested and was under interrogation, and Mohammad Ghanem, a former political prisoner. His uncle, Hani Ghanem, had spent 18 years in Israeli prisons, while his aunt, Ni’ma Ghanem, was killed by Israeli forces two decades earlier. The family’s trauma extends back even further — Rafiq’s grandfather was killed in 1948, the year of the Nakba. His killing occurred during a period of heightened violence: he was the fourth Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in the first six days of July 2022. Just days before, others had also been killed or injured, including Ahmad Harb Ayyad, Kamel Abdullah Alawna, and Sa’diyya Farajallah, the latter being the oldest Palestinian female detainee to die in Israeli custody that year. Rafiq’s life and death reflect the enduring toll of military occupation on Palestinian families across generations.
Pleas of Surviving Relatives and Family if any
The family of Rafiq Riyad Ghanem has expressed profound grief and outrage over his killing, emphasizing his innocence and the circumstances under which he was shot. His mother shared that Rafiq had merely stepped out of their home in shorts and a tank top, completely unarmed and unaware of the danger outside, when he was shot by Israeli soldiers. She insisted he was not involved in any protest or confrontation and was simply checking on the noise outside their home. Her account challenges any claim that Rafiq posed a threat, painting a picture of a young man killed without warning or justification.
His uncle, Hani Ghanem, a former political prisoner who spent 18 years in Israeli prisons, stated that Rafiq had only walked out of the house to investigate a sound when Israeli undercover forces, positioned behind him, fired two live rounds into his body. Hani emphasized that Rafiq posed no threat and was shot in cold blood. He also reflected on the heavy price the family has paid over generations, describing a legacy of suffering under occupation — Rafiq’s brother Ayham was under Israeli interrogation at the time of the killing, his other brother Mohammad had been previously imprisoned,
Additional Information
Sources & References
Rafiq Riyad Ghanem, 20, was killed by Israeli soldiers who also shot at least another Palestinian in Jaba’ town, south of Jenin, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. Medical sources said Ghanem was shot and seriously injured by Israeli army fire before the soldiers took him away without allowing Palestinian medics to approach him. The Israeli District Coordination office later contacted the Palestinian side and informed them that the young man had succumbed to his seriouswounds.1 israelpalestinetimeline.org Open source