Emad Abu Rashid
He was killed by Israeli forces
Emad Abu Rashid, a 47-year-old Palestinian Civil Defense lieutenant and emergency medic, was killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen and head fired by Israeli soldiers near the Huwwara checkpoint. He was unarmed and in uniform at the time of the shooting, which also killed fellow medic Ramzi Sami Zabara (35) with a bullet to the heart.
Biography
Emad Abu Rashid, a 47-year-old Palestinian emergency responder and father of six (with a seventh child on the way), was killed by Israeli forces on October 28, 2022, near the Huwwara military checkpoint south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. A lieutenant in the Palestinian Civil Defense, Abu Rashid was shot multiple times in the abdomen and head while providing emergency services. Another medic, Ramzi Sami Zabara, 35, was also fatally shot in the heart. Both were unarmed and responding to an earlier incident when Israeli soldiers opened fire on their vehicle. Despite efforts by Palestinian medics—who were initially blocked by Israeli forces—Abu Rashid and Zabara succumbed to their wounds in a Nablus hospital.
Emad Abu Rashid, a dedicated emergency worker from Askar refugee camp near Nablus, spent his career saving lives as part of the Palestinian Civil Defense, which provides medical, firefighting, and rescue services in the West Bank. On the day of his death, he and his colleagues were responding to reports of gunfire near the Huwwara checkpoint—a frequent site of Israeli military violence—when soldiers suddenly opened fire on their vehicle without warning.
The Israeli military claimed they were searching for suspects involved in an earlier shooting at the checkpoint, but Abu Rashid and Zabara were unarmed civilians in uniform, targeted despite their clear identification as medics. Israeli forces initially prevented Palestinian ambulances from reaching the wounded, delaying critical care. Abu Rashid, a husband and father of six (with his wife pregnant at the time of his death), became one of many Palestinian first responders killed by Israeli forces in what human rights groups describe as a pattern of attacks on
Sources & References
On October 28, 2022, Israeli forces fatally shot Emad Abu Rashid, a 47-year-old Palestinian Civil Defense lieutenant, near the Huwwara military checkpoint south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. According to eyewitness accounts and Palestinian authorities, Israeli troops opened indiscriminate fire on multiple civilian vehicles in the area. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that Abu Rashid sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including fatal injuries to his abdomen and head. As a trained emergency responder, Abu Rashid was part of the Palestinian Civil Defense force that provides critical medical, firefighting and rescue services throughout the West Bank. The incident occurred when Israeli soldiers, reportedly searching for suspects involved in an earlier shooting at the checkpoint, began firing randomly at passing vehicles. Despite being clearly identifiable as a uniformed emergency worker, Abu Rashid was struck by several bullets. Palestinian medical teams attempting to reach the wounded were initially prevented from providing aid by Israeli forces, delaying potentially life-saving treatment.1 israelpalestinetimeline.org Open source