Dr. Hashem al-Azzeh, who died on Oct. 21 after suffering excessive tear-gas inhalation in Hebron's Old City, was the latest victim of the Israeli settlement policies he spent most of his life struggling against. The 54-year-old activist and medical doctor was one of a few Palestinians who chose to remain with his family in Tel Rumeida, a neighborhood in central Hebron that over the course of decades has seen most of its Palestinian residents pushed out by aggressive Israeli settlers. Refusing an Israeli offer to buy his home, he began to guide foreigners through the divided city, showing them Hebron's illegal settlements, the military checkpoints, and the streets entirely closed to Palestinians. Jawad Abu Aisheh, who works in the district's Youth Against Settlements activist group, said that Hashem viewed these tours as "non-violent means to defend himself." He died after experiencing chest pains at his home, and getting caught in a protest at an Israeli checkpoint as he tried to reach the hosipital.
Photo: Karam Saleem via Maan News Agency
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