I learned about the story of Bilal Rawajbi through an article in Mondoweiss written by Jessica Buxbaum, a freelance journalist based in Jerusalem covering Palestine and the Israeli occupation in February 2022.

That was 18 months after he was shot by the IOF at an Israeli military checkpoint outside Nablus.

It is safe to assume that Israeli citizens and much of the world may have never heard about the ordeal of Bilal Rawajbi, his family, his parents, his wife, and their infant daughter, Joana, who was only three months old at the time. I know one thing for sure—had Bilal been Jewish, his story would have made headlines worldwide, and his name would have become a household name.

Bilal’s story began just over three years ago when he was driving to work through the Huwara military checkpoint outside Nablus. He was stopped and shot at by the Israeli army. Bilal was severely injured, and an Israeli army helicopter transferred him to an unknown location.

The day after, Israeli military officials notified Bilal’s family that he was injured. Then the IOF called to inform them that Bilal was dead. Later, they reversed the statement and said Bilal was injured and in prison.

Now, more than three years later, Bilal's family still has no information about his fate. They are left wondering whether Bilal is a martyr or a prisoner. His name does not appear on the lists of Palestinian martyrs or prisoners, prompting his family to launch an international campaign with the hashtag #WhereIsBilal?

According to the Israel-Palestine Timeline, Maan News Agency published a photo showing Bilal still in the driver's seat when he was shot by soldiers, who fired a barrage of live rounds at him. A video captured by a Palestinian near the roadblock also documented the shots fired by the soldiers.

As with many similar cases, the IOF is notorious for fabricating stories to cover its actions against Palestinians. In typical fashion, the Israeli army issued a statement claiming its soldiers had “foiled an attempted shooting attack” and neutralized the attacker. They further claimed that no soldiers were harmed. Haaretz quoted the army claiming Bilal fired two shots at the soldiers before they fired back and killed him. The phrase “Fish swim, birds fly, and Israelis lie” comes to mind.

The mother of deceased Palestinian Bilal Rawajbi holds up his picture during a protest outside the Red Cross offices in the West Bank city of Nablus on August 15, 2020, calling for the return of his body and the bodies of other Palestinians held by Israel.

Bilal’s family has been denied the right to properly mourn him. After Israel laid to rest three members of the Bibas family, who were killed in the Israeli bombing of Gaza, the Rawajbi family remains unable to give their son a proper burial. Under the latest ceasefire agreement with Hamas, Israel is legally and morally responsible for the safe return of Bilal's body. If Bilal is alive, where is he? If he is dead, where is his body?

It is shameful that the Palestinian Authority (PA), through its official news agency WAFA, has not given this case the attention it deserves. The PA, which has had security cooperation with the Israeli occupation since the Oslo agreement in 1993, has failed to intervene on Bilal's behalf.

Similarly, Palestinian radio station Jerusalem 24, which broadcasts to Hebrew and English-speaking audiences, has also failed to highlight Bilal’s story. Both Palestinian media outlets should have raised their voices and demanded of Israel, “Where is Bilal?”

Jessica Buxbaum reports that Bilal's family, who claim he was not wanted by the IOF, has reached out to the Palestinian Authority, the U.S. government, the United Nations, and various international and local humanitarian organizations in a desperate attempt to locate Bilal, but their efforts have been in vain.

The most logical explanation is that Bilal was killed, and the Israeli army transferred his body to a lab for organ harvesting to be sold on the black market. According to a report from If Americans Knew published on March 1, 2025, Israel has a long history of stealing and trafficking Palestinian organs. The report reveals over three decades of evidence showing Israeli doctors harvesting organs from Palestinians in violation of international law, often for profit.

It is also well-documented in both Palestinian and Israeli media, as well as in court proceedings, that the Israeli Occupation Forces operate a “butchery” at Abu Kabir in Tel Aviv. The IOF routinely kidnaps Palestinians at checkpoints, raids, and even exhumes bodies from cemeteries to harvest organs, all without the knowledge of the families. Under international law, such acts constitute war crimes.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelancer for Islamicity.com and ColumbusFreepress.com. He can be reached at elyousseph6@yahoo.com.