Palestinian journalist Shaza al-Sabbagh was shot in the head and killed by Palestinian Authority (P) security forces on Saturday night during their ongoing raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
Al-Sabbagh’s family said in a statement that their daughter was on the way to a grocery store when she was directly shot from a PA security forces military point located near their house.
A spokesman for the PA’s security forces, Colonel Anwar Rajab, said in a statement that the security forces were not present in the area at the time of the shooting.
Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) released a statement mourning the death of 21-year-old al-Sabbagh, who it said was studying journalism at Al-Quds Open University.
“The union demands the formation of an independent investigation committee with the participation of a representative of the union to determine the truth, hold the killers accountable, and prevent them from escaping punishment,” the group said in a statement.
The family has taken her body for autopsy, and they said that depending on the results, they will file a lawsuit against the Palestinian Authority.
The PA’s Role: Security or Suppression?
Israeli forces have intensified their operations in the West Bank since the Gaza genocide began. Daily incursions into Palestinian cities and villages often lead to violent confrontations, arrests, and widespread fear.
The violence has sparked growing anger, with Israel committing war crimes, exacerbated by relentless settler attacks on Palestinian villages.
Simultaneously, the PA is conducting its own assaults targeting resistance fighters, particularly in Jenin. The PA frames these actions as law enforcement efforts aimed at “restoring order” and disarming rogue elements. However, critics argue that these operations serve Israeli and US interests, undermining the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.
The PA, which partially governs parts of the occupied West Bank, claimed the operation is to root out what it calls “lawless elements” in the Jenin refugee camp.
Al-Sabbagh is the sixth person to be killed since the PA security forces raided the camp three weeks ago.
