By Palestine Chronicle – West Bank
Journalist Shatha al-Sabbagh, a promising young reporter from Jenin refugee camp, was tragically killed by Palestinian Authority security forces, sparking outrage and calls for accountability. She spoke to the Palestine Chronicle merely two days before her tragic death.
The home of journalist Shatha al-Sabbagh in the Jenin refugee camp was filled with mourners and anguished cries after she was killed by Palestinian security forces.
On Saturday evening, a sniper from the Palestinian security services shot Shatha while she was accompanying her two nephews to buy sweets, her family and eyewitnesses said.
A bullet struck her head, causing her to collapse immediately, according to her family’s account.
This tragedy follows another devastating loss for the family: Shatha’s brother, Moatasem, was killed by Israeli soldiers in the camp on March 7, 2023.
“There is no one left for me,” her mother cried, bidding her daughter a heart-wrenching farewell before her burial.
Her brother Musab told the Palestine Chronicle that Shatha was visibly a young woman, wearing women’s prayer clothes at the time of the incident.
Shot in the Head – Young Journalist Killed by PA Security Forces in Jenin
“The shooting lasted at least 15 minutes,” he recounted, “and no one could rescue the children who were with her.”
“The screams echoed through the neighborhood—everyone was shouting her name, but we couldn’t reach her. She lay bleeding on the ground for what felt like an eternity,” he added.
Due to the heavy gunfire, Shatha lost a significant amount of blood. Doctors at Jenin Governmental Hospital pronounced her dead shortly after she arrived.
“I still can’t believe it,” Musab said. “Shatha, my sister, my lifelong companion, and my friend—gone so quickly. I keep imagining she will walk through the door any moment now.”
Repressive Tools
Although Palestinian security services spokesman Anwar Rajab blamed the incident on so-called outlaws, the Al-Sabbagh family held the Palestinian Authority (PA) directly responsible.
“Shatha was killed by a sniper bullet fired by PA security forces—a deliberate crime in Jenin,” the family said in a statement.
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“We hold the Palestinian Authority and its security services fully responsible for this crime. This dangerous escalation shows how these agencies have become repressive tools that practice terrorism against their own people instead of defending their dignity and resisting the occupation.”
The family urged human rights organizations, both local and international, to investigate the killing and hold those responsible accountable.
Human rights bodies in the West Bank, including the Independent Commission for Human Rights and the Journalists Syndicate, have called for a transparent investigation into Shatha’s death.
The ‘Rose of the Camp’
Only two days before her death, Shatha described to The Palestine Chronicle the dire conditions in the Jenin refugee camp during a PA crackdown targeting the Jenin Brigade and other resistance groups.
“The humanitarian situation here is unbearable,” she told one of our correspondents. “There is no electricity, no water, no services. Members of the security forces are even shooting at water tanks on the rooftops for no reason.”
Shatha was born in 2003 and was a third-year New Media student at Al-Quds Open University, with plans to graduate next year. She was the third of her siblings and had been profoundly affected by the loss of her brother Moatasem to Israeli gunfire the previous year.
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“She loved cats, always had a cheerful smile, and brought joy wherever she went,” Musab said. “She was the rose of the camp and the heart of our home.”
Shatha began working in media during Israel’s major incursion into Jenin in July 2023. Her family had been forced to flee their home, which was occupied by soldiers for days on Mahyoub Street. Upon returning, they found their house ransacked, its contents destroyed, and Moatasem’s pictures torn apart.
Determined to document the devastation, Shatha used her camera to capture what was happening in the camp, becoming a trusted source for news.
Journalist Shadi Jarara’a, who worked with her for over a year, praised Shatha’s professionalism and fearlessness. She was training at Al-Ghad TV and tirelessly covered events in the camp.
“During the incursions, she was unflinching, always eager to help others. In one incident, a young man was injured nearby. She not only reported it but tried to aid him herself,” Jarara’a recalled.
Shatha’s death has left a void in her family and her community. Calls for justice echo across Jenin and beyond as many demand answers and accountability for the loss of a young journalist described as the “Rose of the Camp.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
