West Bank family mourns man killed before son’s birth
Nayef Samaro, 25, was shot during an Israeli raid in Nablus as his wife prepared to deliver their first child, his family told NPR.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Nayef Samaro, a 25-year-old Palestinian man from Nablus, was killed during an Israeli military raid hours before his wife gave birth to their first child, his family told NPR. His death has become one family’s account of the rising toll from Israeli operations and settler violence in the occupied West Bank since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Samaro’s relatives told NPR he had been working at a restaurant on May 3 and was trying to reach the hospital, where his wife, Raghad al-Shami, was due to give birth. The family said he was shot as he left work during an Israeli raid in Nablus’ old city.
The United Nations says 1,103 Palestinians, including 241 children, have been killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli security forces or settlers since Oct. 7, 2023, NPR reported. Ajith Sunghay, head of the U.N. Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told NPR there is no accountability for violence by Israeli settlers or the Israeli military.
A hospital goodbye before childbirth
Shami, 21, spoke to NPR from her mother’s home in Nablus while recovering from a cesarean section. She said her son, Yaman, will grow up without his father and that pursuing justice through Israeli courts feels out of reach.
Her mother, Fathia al-Shami, told NPR that Samaro and his wife had recently moved into a new home and were preparing for the baby’s arrival. She said he had bought toys, clothes and a cot for the child.
Doctors had planned to induce Shami on May 3 because of the baby’s size, the family told NPR. Samaro went to work before the hospital appointment, according to Fathia al-Shami.
Fathia al-Shami said security video from the restaurant showed Samaro closing up and trying to leave as the Israeli raid began. She told NPR he encountered tear gas on one street, turned back toward a tunnel for cover and was struck in the back of the head.
Relatives gathered at the hospital after seeing video from the scene, NPR reported. Samaro’s body was brought there by ambulance, and Shami was taken to the maternity ward as doctors monitored her and the baby.
Because Muslim burial custom calls for a quick funeral, Shami’s mother and sisters helped her walk through the hospital to say farewell before Samaro was buried, Fathia al-Shami told NPR. Yaman was born the next day.
Israeli military cites rocks and live fire
The Israeli military told NPR that Palestinians threw rocks at soldiers during an operation in Nablus and that troops used crowd-control measures before later firing live rounds. The military did not answer NPR’s questions about Samaro’s killing specifically or whether it had opened an inquiry.
Fathia al-Shami told NPR that some teenage boys in Nablus throw stones at soldiers, but said Samaro was not involved. She described him as a soon-to-be father headed to the hospital.
NPR reported that Israeli forces have conducted repeated raids in Nablus since Oct. 7, 2023, describing them as counterterrorism operations. The raids have also killed civilians, and settlers have entered the Palestinian city under Israeli military protection, NPR reported.
Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group that monitors military investigations, says fewer than 0.5% of cases involving Palestinian deaths lead to prosecution, according to NPR. The group said it has not recorded any conviction of an Israeli soldier for killing a Palestinian in the West Bank since the Gaza war began.
Ghassan Daghlas, the governor of Nablus, told NPR that Israeli military courts are not independent and accused the military of protecting settlers who attack Palestinians and seize land. The Israeli military did not respond to NPR’s request for comment on claims that violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank goes unpunished.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.