Khalil Al-Rashaq Was Shot Dead at a Jerusalem Checkpoint. The Apartheid Regime Killed Him.

On the night of Thursday, July 23, 2026, Khalil Al-Rashaq – a father of young children, a sanitation worker, and a man with epilepsy – was shot dead by Israeli Border Police officer and security guard at the Shuafat checkpoint in Jerusalem. The full circumstances are not yet known, but according to witness accounts, he bled to death after being denied medical treatment and after his evacuation to a hospital was delayed.

Just one day earlier, on July 22, we at 'Tag Meir Forum' had submitted a claim on his behalf to Israel's National Insurance Institute seeking recognition as a victim of terrorism, after accompanying him since December 2025 in his pursuit of justice against those who had carried out a lynching against him.

On that day, two Jewish Israelis – an adult and a minor – embarked on a spree of violence reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange. According to the indictment, they boarded a bus, smashed one of its mirrors and hurled it at the driver while kicking him and shouting, "We'll smash your face." They then moved to a second bus, assaulted its driver, threw a garbage bin at his head, and caused him a serious hand injury. They next came upon Khalil while he was cleaning the street, head-butted him, knocked him to the ground, repeatedly punched and kicked him in the head and across his body, and broke his teeth and ribs.

Although Khalil and the two bus drivers were all Palestinians, and even the police investigators concluded that the attacks were racially and nationally motivated, the State Attorney's Office decided otherwise and transferred the case to the police prosecution unit. As a result, the indictment curiously stated that the two assailants had "resolved to assault and injure public servants," as though it were merely a coincidence that all three victims were Palestinians. The adult defendant ultimately received a plea deal and was sentenced to just nine months of community service.

סוף עצוב ומטורף לחליל: חליל אל ראשק, עובד התברואה שחשפנו איך בני נוער הרביצו לו רק כדי להעלות לסטורי בטרנד מכות לפלסטינים, נורה למוות על ידי לוחם משמר הגבול בחמישי האחרון ועל ידי מאבטח אזרחי במחסום מחנה הפליטים שועפט. לפי העדויות של הלוחמים , הוא לא נענה לקריאות לעצור ואז ביצעו… https://t.co/BSQK1ppGPl pic.twitter.com/StF9aXFNVm

— Yossi Eli (@Yossi_eli) July 27, 2026

It is beyond doubt that had Khalil been Jewish, he would never have been targeted in the first place. And had the attackers been Palestinians, the assault would have been classified as terrorism. Given that the entire attack was captured on security cameras, they almost certainly would have received prison sentences.

Khalil was a resident of occupied East Jerusalem and lived in the Shuafat refugee camp, one of the most overcrowded and impoverished areas in the city. Although the camp lies within Jerusalem's municipal boundaries, it is physically separated from the rest of the city by Israel's separation barrier. Every day, he was required to pass through a checkpoint used exclusively by Palestinians in order to reach his job, visit relatives in the Old City and other Jerusalem neighbourhoods, and attend to everyday needs such as medical appointments.

Israel's Department for Internal Police Investigations has announced that it has opened an investigation. Yet experience shows that justice is exceedingly rare in cases involving violence by Israeli civilians, police officers, or soldiers against Palestinians. The case will most likely be closed before long on the grounds that there is no suspicion of criminal wrongdoing by those who fatally shot Khalil.

״פעם הבאה שאנקה רחובות ידקרו אותי?״ זה המשפט שאמר לסיכום חליל אל ראשק, עובד ניקיון בעיריית ירושלים שחטף לינץ׳ משני נערים שחיפשו למי להרביץ ברחובות ירושלים. לא הצלעות השבורות מפריעות לו, לא שחסרות לו שיניים עכשיו, אלא שהוא יחסר בעבודה ולא יצליח לפרנס את שתי בנותיו הקטנות. הראיון… pic.twitter.com/lJO3gDfSfE

— Yossi Eli (@Yossi_eli) December 8, 2025

Despite his immense suffering and extreme poverty, Khalil insisted on fighting for his rights. He tried to remain optimistic and retain his sense of humour. Although the Israeli system did not treat him as a human being with equal rights, he spoke Hebrew and expressed deep appreciation for the Israeli human rights activists who stood by him.

Khalil Al-Rashaq was not only a victim of the specific Israelis who discriminated against him, assaulted him, and ultimately killed him, but of the apartheid regime itself. His story is horrifying, yet it is far from exceptional. It is an integral part of a system in which Palestinians are subjected to repeated violence and discrimination not by chance, but because they are Palestinians living under Israeli apartheid. 

Many Israelis were horrified by the video of the lynching, which unusually found its way into Israel's mainstream media. Some even contributed to a public fundraising campaign to help Khalil. But as long as most Israelis are not equally horrified by the apartheid regime in which they are complicit, and as long as the international community fails to impose meaningful sanctions capable of bringing that regime to an end, countless similar atrocities will continue.

Eitay Mack is an Israeli lawyer and human rights activist.

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