Abdul-Rahman Hani ‘Aabed
He was killed by Israeli soldiers
Abdul-Rahman Hani ‘Aabed died from multiple gunshot wounds sustained during an armed exchange with Israeli soldiers. According to Israeli military reports, Abdul-Rahman and Ahmad Ayman ‘Aabed allegedly opened fire on Israeli forces near the Israeli Annexation Wall. In the ensuing gunfire, both Palestinians were fatally shot. Abdul-Rahman was declared dead at the scene, and his body was later shown to his family via mobile phone images. The Israeli military did not release the body to the family.
Biography
Abdul-Rahman Hani ‘Aabed, 22, was a young Palestinian man from Kafr Dan, a town located northwest of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank. He was killed on September 14, 2022, during a gunfight with Israeli soldiers near the village of Jalama, north of Jenin. Alongside him, another Palestinian, Ahmad Ayman ‘Aabed, was also killed. The incident reportedly resulted in the death of an Israeli soldier as well.
Abdul-Rahman Hani ‘Aabed grew up in the town of Kafr Dan, northwest of Jenin, a region that has seen frequent confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian resistance groups. At the age of 22, Abdul-Rahman was part of a generation of young Palestinians shaped by occupation, military incursions, and political instability in the West Bank. On the morning of September 14, 2022, Abdul-Rahman and Ahmad Ayman ‘Aabed were reportedly spotted near the Israeli Annexation Wall close to the village of Jalama. Israeli sources claimed the two men opened fire on soldiers, initiating a gun battle that resulted in the deaths of both Palestinians and one Israeli soldier, Maj. Bar Pelach, 30, the deputy commander of the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion.
Ahmad, Abdul-Rahman's companion, was a graduate of Istiqlal University and worked with the Palestinian Military Intelligence service, indicating that the two men may have been involved in organized resistance. Following the incident, the Israeli military contacted the families of the deceased Palestinians, instructing them to come to a military roadblock to identify their sons’ bodies but refused to hand over the corpses. Abdul-Rahman’s father was detained for an hour and shown photos of his slain son and Ahmad.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, affiliated with the Fateh movement, claimed responsibility for the attack. The local response was immediate and strong: a general strike was declared in Jenin in mourning, and several Israeli military vehicles, including bulldozers, entered Al-Jalama village and demolished a cement wall near the site of the shooting. The wall, owned by local resident Morad Saleh Abu Farha, marked the exact spot where the two young men had been killed.
In the wake of their deaths, Palestinian factions hailed the men as martyrs, and resistance voices, such as Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem, vowed that the blood of Abdul-Rahman and others would fuel continued resistance against the Israeli occupation. Their deaths came amid a deadly month in the West Bank, bringing the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in September 2022 to ten, in addition to one political prisoner who died in Israeli custody.
Abdul-Rahman’s killing reflects the larger pattern of escalating violence in Jenin and its surrounding areas, which have become a focal point of both armed resistance and intensified Israeli military operations. His name now joins a growing list of young Palestinians from the region who have died amid the ongoing conflict, their stories remembered in village gatherings, family grief, and political declarations alike.
Sources & References
On September 14, 2022, Abdul-Rahman Hani ‘Aabed, 22, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers during an exchange of gunfire near the village of Jalama, located north of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank. According to Israeli sources, Abdul-Rahman and another Palestinian, Ahmad Ayman ‘Aabed, 23, were spotted approaching the Israeli Annexation Wall near Jalama. As Israeli soldiers moved toward them, the two reportedly opened fire, prompting the soldiers to return fire. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of both Palestinians and one Israeli soldier. Palestine TV reported that Ahmad, who was also killed in the incident, was a graduate of Istiqlal University and served in the Palestinian Military Intelligence service.1 israelpalestinetimeline.org Open source