Israeli Forces Kill Shaker Falah al-Jaabari in Hebron as UN Warns of 'Apartheid' in West Bank

The military called it an attack, then backtracked—but for 58-year-oldShaker Falah al-Jaabari, the admission came too late. On the morning of January 11, 2026, al-Jaabari succumbed to gunshot wounds after Israeli forces opened fire on his vehicle in Hebron, marking another flashpoint in the occupied West Bank.

Fatal Shooting of Shaker Falah al-Jaabari in Hebron

The Israeli army initially claimed that al-Jaabari's vehicle accelerated toward soldiers in the Haret al-Sheikh neighborhood. However, in a later statement, the military acknowledged that an initial review found no evidence of an intentional attack. According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, its crews were prevented from reaching the victim immediately after the shooting.

UN Apartheid Labels and E1 Settlement Expansion

This escalation coincides with a landmark UN human rights report released on Wednesday, which labeled Israeli policies as resembling "apartheid." This is the first time a UN rights chief, Volker Turk, has used the term officially. Despite this, Israel has cleared the final hurdle to begin the controversial E1 settlement project, issuing a tender for 3,401 housing units near Jerusalem.

In 2025, at least 240 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, including 55 children. The same year saw over 1,800 settler attacks, the highest figure since records began in 2006. As settler intimidation continues, communities like Ras al-Auja are being dismantled, displacing dozens of families.