Israeli police have shot and killed a Palestinian man as he attempted to climb the concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem, Palestinian authorities said. The man was identified as Zakaria Qatusa, 44, from the town of Deir Qadis, about 20 kilometres northwest of the shooting site in Al-Ram on Tuesday evening.
Israeli police did not immediately respond to queries about the incident. The Palestinian Health Ministry and Red Crescent confirmed the death, and his funeral was held on Wednesday.
Khalid Qatusa, the victim's brother, said he was a father of four crossing the wall to work in Israel. “He was forced to resort to this method as there was no other opportunity to meet the needs of his household and live a dignified life. This was the only way,” he said. “He was neither an aggressor nor a threat.”
An increasing number of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank have attempted to enter Israel illegally for work in recent years. Before the Israel-Hamas war, tens of thousands held permits to work in Israel, but access was sharply restricted after the attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023. Since then, unemployment has surged amid a deep economic slowdown and a shortage of jobs in the West Bank.
Other shootings have occurred at the same location separating Al-Ram from Beit Hanina, an east Jerusalem neighbourhood. As of May 11, at least 47 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
