Israeli forces beat elderly Palestinian woman to death
Sabriya Shamasneh who was attacked by Israeli forces during a raid on her home near Qalqiya in the occupied West Bank on 7 April 2026
Fayha Shalash reports in Middle East Eye on 7 April 2026:
A 68-year-old Palestinian woman was beaten to death by Israeli soldiers during a raid on her home in the town of Jayyous, in the northern occupied West Bank. Soldiers stormed the house of Sabriya Shamasneh in the early hours of Tuesday morning, conducting an aggressive search and interrogating the family.
Her husband, Walid Shamasneh, told local media that shortly before the raid, his daughter-in-law had approached him in fear, believing there were “thieves” outside. She reported hearing unusual noises and noticed that the front garden gate had been forced open. Israeli forces then broke down the front door, terrifying the family.
“The Israeli officer began asking me for the names of people I did not know. Then they forced us all into a corner of the room while they searched the other bedrooms,” Walid said.
At one point, Sabriya attempted to move and called out to her son Hassan, fearing he had been arrested. The soldiers responded by shoving her violently with their rifles, knocking her to the ground and shouting at her to be quiet. The elderly woman’s head struck the wall, causing her to lose consciousness. Her husband panicked, shouting and pleading with the soldiers to help, but they refused.
After the soldiers left, Sabriya’s husband and son rushed her to Darwish Nazzal Governmental Hospital in Qalqilya. A heavy presence of Israeli military vehicles had prevented an ambulance from reaching the scene. At the hospital, Sabriya was pronounced dead from the injuries she sustained during the raid, leaving her family in deep shock.