Rafat Omar Ahmad Khamayseh

Their life

Rafat Omar Ahmad Khamayseh was a 15-year-old Palestinian boy from the Jenin Refugee Camp in the northern West Bank. Known as a bright and spirited teenager, Rafat was deeply loved by his family and community. His life was cut short on September 19, 2023, when Israeli special forces shot and killed him as he tried to flee a military raid in his neighborhood. He became one of the youngest victims of ongoing military operations in the West Bank, reflecting the increasing danger faced by Palestinian children in conflict zones.

Rafat Omar Ahmad Khamayseh was born and raised in the densely populated and impoverished Jenin Refugee Camp, located in the northern West Bank. At just 15 years old, Rafat was a typical Palestinian teenager growing up under occupation—navigating life under constant military pressure, curfews, and the looming threat of violence. Despite these hardships, Rafat remained close to his family, especially his grandfather, whose home he had just visited on the evening of September 19, 2023.

Rafat was reportedly leaving his grandfather’s house around 7:30 p.m. when a group of over thirty undercover Israeli soldiers, disguised in Palestinian-plated civilian cars, entered the camp. As the soldiers surrounded the home of a man they sought to arrest, Rafat spotted them and shouted “Special forces! Special forces!”—a warning cry heard often in refugee camps during surprise raids. Fearing for his life, he attempted to run. A soldier pursued him and shot him at close range in the abdomen, just ten meters away.

Wounded and

How they died

Shot by Israeli special forces

Rafat Omar Ahmad Khamayseh died as a direct result of gunshot wounds inflicted by Israeli special forces during a military operation in the Jenin Refugee Camp on the evening of September 19, 2023. According to eyewitness reports and documentation by human rights organizations, Rafat was shot in the abdomen from a close distance of about 10 meters (33 feet) while attempting to flee from Israeli soldiers who had just entered the camp disguised in civilian vehicles.

The initial gunshot caused severe internal injuries, which rapidly compromised his vital organs. Despite efforts by a local Palestinian resident who risked his own safety to shield and carry Rafat to a nearby house, the teenager’s condition deteriorated over the following hour and a half. During this critical time, Israeli forces reportedly prevented ambulances and medical personnel from reaching Rafat, effectively delaying urgent medical treatment.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Rafat Omar Ahmad Khamayseh, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources