68-yr-old Palestinian woman beaten to death during Israeli raid in West Bank
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Jayyous: A 68-year-old Palestinian woman, Sabriya Shamasneh, has died following a brutal assault by Israeli occupation forces during a raid on her home in Jayyous, a town in the northern occupied West Bank.
According to her family, the soldiers entered the house in the early hours of Tuesday, forcing open the gate and breaking down the front door as part of a search operation. Her husband, Walid Shamasneh, said the family initially feared intruders after hearing noises outside.
During the operation, the soldiers reportedly gathered the family in one room while conducting the search and questioning them. Walid said the soldiers asked about individuals he did not recognise. At one point, Sabriya attempted to move and called out to her son, fearing he had been detained.
Soldiers allegedly pushed her forcefully with their rifles, causing her to fall, strike her head against a wall, and lose consciousness. Despite her husband’s pleas for help, she reportedly received no assistance.
After the forces left, family members rushed her to Darwish Nazzal Governmental Hospital in Qalqilya. The presence of military vehicles, however, reportedly delayed access to emergency services. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Medical sources said Shamasneh suffered a sudden heart attack during the raid.
The family is awaiting the arrival of her daughter from Jordan before holding funeral rites, as the town mourns her death.
During the same raid, a young man was also assaulted, sustaining injuries including bruises and fractures.
Residents report an increase in Israeli military raids across towns and villages in the area, often accompanied by aggressive conduct during house searches and a rise in arrests. In recent weeks, dozens of Palestinians, including women, have reportedly been detained in Qalqilya and surrounding areas.
On Monday, Israeli forces arrested relatives of Palestinians previously killed, including their mothers, which locals describe as a form of intimidation. Last month, around 15 women were detained in the region; most were later released, while one remains in administrative detention.
Similar incidents in recent years have drawn outrage, including the 2025 killing of an elderly Palestinian woman shot by Israeli forces in the Shuafat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem, and a 2024 incident in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp showing an Israeli military dog attacking an elderly woman inside her home.
