Palestinians demand justice for alleged honour killing of Israa Ghrayeb
Israa Ghrayeb
The suspected “honor killing” of a 21-year-old Palestinian woman from a village outside of Bethlehem has sparked outrage across the West Bank, shining a light on gender-based violence in Palestine.
Hundreds of protesters marched through Bethlehem to Beit Sahour on Saturday, and on Monday another protest was held outside of the Prime Minister’s office in Ramallah, calling for justice for the young make-up artist, Israa Ghrayeb. Demonstrators called for accountability, chanting “We are all Israa,” and “stop killing women.”
Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced during a cabinet meeting on Monday, “A number of people have been arrested for interrogation,” but did not disclose further details.
Palestinians protest against gender-based violence after the killing of Israa Ghrayeb
Ghrayeb died on Thursday, August 22 at her home after she was discharged from the hospital where she was admitted for spinal injuries. Although the circumstances around her death are unclear, many speculate she was killed by male family members after she posted a video of herself on social media with a man she was soon to be engaged to.
According to different media reports, Israa was allegedly severely beaten and tortured in her family home. While attempting to escape her family’s violence, Israa fell or jumped from the second story of the family house, causing severe spinal injuries leading to hospitalization.