Israeli prosecutors charge a settler in West Bank killing of Palestinian leader Awdah Hathaleen

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian activist Awdah Al Hathaleen, who was killed by Israeli settler according to Palestinian health officials, during his funeral in the West Bank Bedouin village of Umm al-Khair, Aug. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

JERUSALEM — Israeli prosecutors Thursday charged a settler for the killing of a Palestinian community leader last year in the occupied West Bank, according to an indictment filed in district court.

In the document, prosecutors accuse Yinon Levi, who lives in an outpost near the city of Hebron, of reckless manslaughter in the death of prominent Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen. The charge holds a lesser punishment than murder under Israeli law. The indictment also charges Levi with armed trespassing and malicious property damage.

Israeli rights group B’Tselem said the charges against Levi mark the first time since Oct. 7, 2023 that an Israeli has been indicted for killing a Palestinian in the West Bank. In that time, the group said, Israeli settlers and soldiers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinians in the territory.

The Associated Press