Khalil Mohammad Tawalba
Khalil Tawalba was shot and killed by undercover Israeli soldiers on April 2, 2022, in a targeted ambush at ‘Arraba junction, near Jenin.
Khalil Tawalba died after being targeted in a preplanned ambush by undercover Israeli soldiers at ‘Arraba junction, south of Jenin. The soldiers surrounded his car—which he was in with two other Palestinian men—and opened fire, killing all three. Witnesses said the soldiers fired multiple rounds into the vehicle without warning, and after pulling the men from the car, fired at them again while they were on the ground, ensuring their deaths. No medical assistance was allowed for more than two hours, as the area was declared a closed military zone, and Palestinian Red Crescent medics were blocked from approaching. The bodies were taken by Israeli forces, and families were denied access for burial. The operation was described by Palestinian factions and rights groups as a deliberate extrajudicial assassination.
Biography
Khalil Mohammad Tawalba was a 24-year-old Palestinian from Jenin refugee camp, located in the northern occupied West Bank. He was a student at the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, and a member of the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement. On April 2, 2022, Khalil was killed by undercover Israeli soldiers in a targeted attack at the ‘Arraba junction, south of Jenin, alongside two other Palestinians. His killing drew widespread condemnation from Palestinian political groups and human rights organizations, who described it as a premeditated assassination.
Khalil Mohammad Tawalba, 24, was a resident of Jenin refugee camp, a densely populated and frequently targeted area in the northern occupied West Bank. He was a student at the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, suggesting he was pursuing education or training in skilled trades. Khalil was affiliated with the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, which later confirmed his membership. On the first day of Ramadan, April 2, 2022, Khalil was in a vehicle with two other Palestinians when they were ambushed by undercover Israeli special forces at the ‘Arraba junction near Jenin. The soldiers surrounded the car and opened fire without warning, in what was widely described as an extrajudicial killing. Palestinian medical teams were barred from reaching the scene for over two hours, and the Israeli military later confiscated the bodies. His killing, along with those of Saif Hifthy Abu Libda and Sa’eb Tayseer Abahra, became emblematic of Israel's increasing use of covert operations
Additional Information
Sources & References
Khalil Mohammad Tawalba, 24, was killed by undercover Israeli soldiers who also killed two other Palestinians in the same attack at the ‘Arraba junction, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin. The Palestinian TV said the undercover soldiers fired a barrage of live ammunition at a Palestinian car, killing the three young men and wounding others. The undercover Israeli soldiers surrounded the Palestinian car before opening fire at it, clearly indicating that the soldiers weren’t there to arrest anybody but to assassinate them.1 israelpalestinetimeline.org Open source