End Violence against Palestinian Women in Israel

Dear friends, 

Thank you for supporting our project to end violence against Palestinian women in Israel.Four months ago, we shared with you the names and stories of the 18 women and 2 girls who were murdered in the Palestinian society in Israel in 2024. Since the beginning of 2025, two more Palestinian women in Israel were killed.  

Sabreen, a 35-year-old woman and mother of three, was shot in her car. An indictment was filed against a member of a criminal organization, who allegedly suspected that the victim was collaborating with the organization's rival.  

Aisha, a 30-year-old widow, was shot twice in the head when she came to visit her children at the school where they were studying. Arrested on suspicion of involvement in the murder were seven members of her late husbands’ family, which tried to force her to marry her late husband’s brother. Her refusal to do so is believed to be the major reason for the murder.  

We wish peace and comfort to the families and loved ones of the deceased at this difficult time. 

We at Kayan insist that every murderer will be found and receive his fair punishment, so that our society will be safer for our women and girls. While no judgement will ease a family’s pain, it may help restore some balance after a tragedy and deter others from committing such heinous crimes, saving the lives of further potential victims. Thus, we breathed a sigh of relief on March 17, when after more than four years of pain and suffering, the murderer Rabia K. was convicted to life imprisonment for premeditated murder of his wife Wafa, a mother of five who had been 35 years old when she was murdered by her husband on the streets of Arabeh on 16 November 2020. After chasing her until he collided with her car, he stopped her, then stabbed her several times with a sharp object until passers-by intervened.Then, he got into his car and fled the place, and disappeared for three weeks, before the police were able to find him.  

We accompanied the family of Wafa A. in the legal proceedings, from the day of her murder until the day that her murderer was convicted.Staff members of Kayan stood side by side with members of Wafa’s family in a vigil in front of the Haifa District Court ahead of each hearing, showing solidarity since the day of Wafa’s passing. With pictures of the late Wafa and banners denouncing murders and violence against women, we stressed that femicide cannot be tolerated, and that the perpetrators must be held accountable. One of the banners read: “I am Wafa A. I was killed four years ago ... Since me, 65 women have been murdered”.   

In a letter to Kayan after the murderer’s conviction to life imprisonment, her sister thanked us with the words: “We extend our deep thanks to Kayan, which accompanied us from the moment of the crime until the conviction, and which was not just a supporter, but a second family, a voice for us when we were suffocated by pain, and a support when we felt weak. We thank everyone who attended the meetings, all those who raised their voices with us, all those who did not allow this issue to become just a figure in the statistics of violence. Your presence with us was not only legal or social support, but a lifeline amid this sea of pain.‎” 

Without your support to Kayan, we could not have supported the family of Wafa. With your donation to Kayan’s project to end violence against Palestinian women in Israel, you stood on our side and enabled us to stand side by side with Wafa’s family in front of the court. Thus, we want to extend our deep thanks to you. It is you, too, who did not allow the murder of Wafa to become just a number in the femicide statistics. And not only Wafa, but every victim we report about, every femicide we protest, and every bereaved family we support. We could not do it without you. 

Nisreen Tabari, 

Director, Kayan – Feminist Organization