Isra’ Khaled Khzaimiah

Their life

Isra’ Khaled Khzaimiah was a 30-year-old Palestinian woman from Qabatia, a town south of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank. A married mother of four young children—including a two-year-old and a four-year-old—Isra’ was fatally shot by Israeli police near the Chain Gate (Bab al-Silsila), one of the entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, on September 30, 2021. Israeli authorities claimed she attempted to stab officers with a sharp object, but eyewitnesses reported that she was left wounded on the ground and denied medical aid before succumbing to her injuries. Her killing occurred amid heightened tensions in Jerusalem and sparked anger across Palestinian communities, particularly because of the harsh treatment she received and her status as a mother of young children.

Isra’ Khaled Khzaimiah was a 30-year-old Palestinian woman from the town of Qabatia, near Jenin in the northern West Bank. She was a wife and the mother of four children, the youngest being just two and four years old. On September 30, 2021, she was shot and killed by Israeli police near the Chain Gate, one of the entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. According to the Israeli police, Isra’ exited the mosque compound carrying a sharp object and allegedly attempted to stab officers, prompting them to open fire.

Eyewitness accounts, however, offered a different perspective. Several bystanders reported that although Isra’ was seriously injured and laying on the ground, Israeli forces prevented anyone—including medical personnel—from approaching her to provide first aid. She was left bleeding until she died. Video footage and photos taken in the area support claims that the police sealed off the scene immediately, restricting access and forcing nearby civilians, including children, to remain

How they died

Isra’ Khaled Khzaimiah died from gunshot wounds inflicted by Israeli police near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Isra’ was fatally shot by Israeli officers near the Chain Gate of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on September 30, 2021. The Israeli police claimed she attempted to stab officers with a knife, prompting them to respond with live fire. However, witnesses stated that she was alive but immobilized after being shot, and that police refused to allow anyone to administer medical aid. As a result, she bled to death on the ground. Her killing drew criticism from human rights observers who questioned the proportionality of the response and the failure to provide life-saving treatment.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Isra’ Khaled Khzaimiah, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources