Imad Ishtayeh risked everything to find employment amid economic hardship in the West Bank, and died aged 26
Published 4 Jun, 2026 16:04
| Updated 4 Jun, 2026 17:05
Haroun Ishtayeh, Imad’s father, at the grave of his son, Nablus in the West Bank, Palestine, June 2, 2026. © Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The family of a young Palestinian man who was shot dead by Israeli forces near the concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem, has told RT that his determination to find work drove him to his death.
Imad Ishtayeh’s death was confirmed by the Palestinian Health Ministry on Sunday.
His father told RT that he had been trying to cross into Israel in search of work amid deepening economic hardship in the Palestinian territory.
Israeli police have said that Imad was attempting to enter Israel illegally by crossing the barrier.
”My son went out looking for a livelihood,” Haroun Ishtayeh said. “He had opened a chicken slaughterhouse business here, but people could not afford to buy chicken, they could barely afford to buy water […] And he closed down his business here.”
“I told him, my son, the situation is dangerous; he told me, father, if I am destined to die, I will die here or I will die there,” he added.
RT correspondent Charlotte Dubenskij reports.
