Yousef Mahdi Nawasra

Their life

Yousef Mahdi Nawasra was a 27-year-old Palestinian man from Fahma village, located southwest of the northern West Bank city of Jenin. He was among the many young Palestinians who joined demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza during the Israeli escalation of May 2021. Like many others of his generation, he lived under the daily pressures of military occupation and witnessed repeated cycles of violence in his homeland. On May 14, 2021, Yousef was shot and killed by Israeli forces during protests near the Dothan Israeli military roadblock, becoming one of nine Palestinians killed across the West Bank that day.

Born and raised in Fahma village, southwest of Jenin in the northern West Bank, Yousef Mahdi Nawasra grew up in an environment shaped by both community resilience and the hardships of occupation. At 27 years old, he belonged to a generation of Palestinians who often found themselves at the forefront of resistance demonstrations, responding to military incursions and the broader violence affecting the Palestinian people. On May 14, 2021, Yousef joined widespread protests across the West Bank that erupted in response to the heavy Israeli bombardment of Gaza, which on that day alone killed at least 39 Palestinians, including women and children. In the West Bank, thousands of people mobilized, demanding an end to the assault and to the ongoing occupation. Near the Dothan Israeli military roadblock, where Yousef was present, Israeli forces opened fire on protesters. He was struck with live ammunition and killed, making him one of nine Palestinians killed across the West Bank that day, alongside hundreds who were wounded. His death was part of a larger wave of violence, in which Palestinians from Nablus, Salfit, Ramallah, and Jericho were also killed in similar circumstances.

How they died

Yousef Mahdi Nawasra was shot and killed by Israeli forces during protests near the Dothan military roadblock on May 14, 2021.

During mass demonstrations across the West Bank in solidarity with Gaza, Israeli forces used live ammunition against protesters. At the Dothan military roadblock near Jenin, Yousef was among those demonstrating when soldiers opened fire. He was struck by live bullets, fatally wounded, and succumbed to his injuries on the scene. His killing was part of a wider crackdown in which Israeli forces shot dead at least nine Palestinians that same day across different parts of the West Bank.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Yousef Mahdi Nawasra, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources