In Remembrance: Awdah Hathaleen

In remembrance of Awdah Hathaleen, who was murdered by an Israeli settler on Monday, July 28th, Unsettled Podcast has created a compilation of our previous conversations with him. Awdah was a 31-year-old father of three young sons, a teacher, a tireless activist for Palestinian rights and a frequent guest on Unsettled. He welcomed hundreds of international activists to Umm al-Kheir, his village in the West Bank, including Unsettled producers Emily and Max. 

The day after Awdah’s death, mourners in Umm al-Kheir were attacked by the Israeli military, who arrested several friends and family members. At the time of this episode release, many are still in jail. On Thursday, July 31st, more than seventy women in Umm al-Kheir began a hunger strike to demand the release of Awdah's body to his family, which Israel is reportedly refusing until the community promises not to bury him in Umm al-Kheir.

Eyewitness Testimony of July 28th:

"‘The most peaceful person’: Umm Al-Khair mourns activist slain by Israeli settler," +972 Magazine (July 29, 2025)

Awdah's writings:

"In Umm al-Khair, the occupation is damning us to multigenerational trauma," +972 Magazine (July 22, 2024)
"We don’t just live through one home demolition — we live through them all," +972 Magazine (November 18, 2021)

Awdah on Unsettled Podcast:

The Birthday Party (2022 Series)
"Escalation in the South Hebron Hills: Awdah Hathaleen" (January 27, 2023)

Unsettled Reporting on The South Hebron Hills & Masafer Yatta