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Sameh al-Asali, who was sheltering in the city of Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was killed when a large missile fragment slammed into him.
- Oct. 1, 2024, 7:27 p.m. ET
Sameh al-Asali was one of hundreds of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip sheltering in the city of Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, far from the war between Israel and Hamas back home.
On Tuesday, a fragment of an Iranian missile fell on him, making him the only person known to be killed in the attack targeting Israel, a victim of the escalating regional conflict between Israel and Iran and its proxies.
Mr. al-Asali’s death highlighted the vulnerability of Palestinians in the West Bank to Iran’s missile barrages. Unlike those in Israel, Palestinians in the West Bank don’t have an air-raid siren system to warn them of incoming attacks.
Mr. al-Asali, 37, was walking through a Palestinian Authority training base that had been converted into a shelter for Palestinian laborers from Gaza when a large fragment of a missile slammed into him, according to security camera footage reviewed by The New York Times. It appeared the fragment had either fallen off the missile or had plummeted after being interdicted by an Israeli interceptor.
Mr. al-Asali’s father, Hader al-Asali, said in a phone interview that he had been shocked to discover his son’s lifeless body. “He was unlucky,” he said.
Roughly 600 Palestinians from Gaza, who were working in Israel before the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, were seeking refuge in the base, said Hussein Hamayel, the governor of Jericho.
