Yamen Nafez Jaffal
Yamen Nafez Jaffal was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers.
During the Israeli military incursion into Abu Dis, soldiers fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs, and concussion grenades to disperse protesters. Yamen was shot with a live bullet. Despite his critical condition, Israeli soldiers prevented Palestinian medics from reaching him. He subsequently bled to death on the scene. After his death, soldiers did not allow medics to approach his body, and it was taken away by the military. The use of force and obstruction of medical assistance contributed directly to the fatal outcome.
Biography
Yamen Nafez Jaffal was a 16-year-old Palestinian from Abu Dis, a town located east of occupied East Jerusalem in the West Bank. He was one of many young Palestinians caught in the violence and military incursions that frequently affect this region. On March 6, 2022, Israeli soldiers invaded Abu Dis with several military vehicles, prompting protests from local residents. During this raid, Yamen was shot by Israeli forces with live ammunition.
Yamen Nafez Jaffal was a 16-year-old Palestinian youth from Abu Dis, a town located east of occupied East Jerusalem in the West Bank. Abu Dis, like many Palestinian towns in the occupied territories, frequently experiences military incursions, clashes, and protests amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On March 6, 2022, during an Israeli military raid involving multiple army jeeps invading Abu Dis, local residents, including young Palestinians, protested the incursion. The Israeli forces responded with a heavy show of force, firing live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs, and concussion grenades to disperse the protesters.
During the chaotic events, Yamen was shot by Israeli soldiers with a live bullet. Despite being critically wounded and bleeding heavily, Palestinian medics were denied access to provide immediate medical assistance. Tragically, Yamen bled to death on the spot due to the denial of urgent medical care. After his death, Israeli soldiers prevented medics from approaching his body and took his corpse away themselves.
The Israeli army claimed that Yamen had thrown a Molotov cocktail at military vehicles during the raid and that the soldiers fired live rounds in response. However, many Palestinians and human rights organizations view the shooting and the subsequent denial of medical aid as an unjustified use of lethal force.
Yamen’s death came amid a surge in Israeli military operations and violence across the occupied West Bank in early 2022, with multiple young Palestinians being killed or injured during protests and raids.
The killing of Yamen is part of a larger pattern of confrontations and violence that deeply affects Palestinian communities living under occupation. It highlights the dangers Palestinian youth face daily, caught between military incursions, restrictions on freedom, and harsh responses to protest activities.
Yamen is remembered as one of the many Palestinian children and teenagers whose lives were cut short amid the continuing conflict, drawing widespread condemnation and calls for accountability from Palestinian civil society and international human rights groups.
Sources & References
Yamen Nafez Jaffal, 16, was killed by Israeli soldiers who invaded Abu Dis town, east of occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank. Media sources said several army jeeps invaded the town, leading to protests before the soldiers fired many live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs, and concussion grenades. Medical sources said the soldiers who Yamen with a live round prevented Palestinian medics from approaching him, and he subsequently bled todeath.1 israelpalestinetimeline.org Open source