Israeli authorities informed the Palestinian Ebu Arra family, from the Aqaba town in the northern occupied West Bank, that their son Majdi Ebu Arra, who had been missing for about 1.5 years, was killed.
Father Nur Ebu Arra said that the family received a phone call from Hamoked, the Israeli human rights center they had authorized to follow up on their son's fate, and that they were informed that Israeli authorities had confirmed the young man was killed.
Nur Ebu Arra stated that Hamoked conveyed the information that their son Majdi was killed after months of legal proceedings before the Israeli judiciary.
The father said, "Throughout this entire period we did not know his fate; we could not learn whether he was detained, wounded, or martyred. We contacted all relevant Palestinian and Israeli parties, but the Israeli army denied that he was in their hands."
Hamoked, which the family had authorized, filed a petition with the Israeli Supreme Court on their behalf. The center received an official notification on Sunday that Majdi was killed and relayed the situation to the family.
Attack and Disappearance Process
Majdi Ebu Arra was last seen on December 3, 2024, when he was in a vehicle targeted by an Israeli army drone strike, along with Palestinians Muhammed Semih Gannam and Kerem Hatem Ebu Arra. According to local Palestinian media, Gannam and Kerem Ebu Arra died in the attack, while contradictory statements emerged about Majdi Ebu Arra's fate; it was claimed that he was detained while injured, but no official statement was made.
The family still does not know exactly when their son was killed.
Years-long Operations
In recent years, the Israeli army has been carrying out targeted killings of Palestinian activists in the West Bank, bombing their vehicles or surrounding them and engaging in clashes. The majority of these operations end with the target being killed or detained.
According to official Palestinian data, since October 8, 2023, escalating Israeli attacks in the West Bank have killed 1,173 Palestinians, wounded 12,666, detained approximately 23,000, and displaced 33,000 people.
