Israeli Contractor Indicted for Reckless Manslaughter After Shooting Palestinian in West Bank

Yinon Eliya Levi, a 33-year-old contractor from the settlement of Maon in the Hebron Hills, has been indicted for reckless manslaughter after fatally shooting a Palestinian man, Odah Al-Hadlin. The indictment, filed by attorney Noga Kider from the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, details that Levi was overseeing earthworks for a new neighborhood development and employed a 17-year-old minor as a bulldozer driver.

According to the investigation, Levi instructed the bulldozer driver to create a new path through private land, which was not authorized in the work plan. This action drew a crowd of local Palestinian residents who attempted to block the bulldozer and recorded the incident. The driver struck one of the protesters, causing head and shoulder injuries, but Levi ordered him to continue and break through another fence.

An altercation ensued during which some Palestinians threw stones at the bulldozer. Levi shouted at the crowd, assaulted one individual, and smashed a phone recording the event. Subsequently, Levi drew his firearm, moved away from the crowd, and fired a bullet near the ground toward buildings in the village where people and children were present. Odah Al-Hadlin, approximately 20 meters away in the village community center yard, was hit and killed while filming the incident.

Levi then stepped on his gun, warned the crowd against throwing stones, and fired another shot into the air. The charges against Levi include reckless manslaughter, illegal entry while armed, and intentional property damage. Levi remains in custody as his detention was extended pending further proceedings.