Palestinians shave their heads to make it harder for Israeli forces to catch youth

JERUSALEM (AA) – Young Palestinian men in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem have kicked off a campaign to look like a Palestinian youth by shaving their heads to help him evade Israeli soldiers.

Many Jerusalem youths took up this unique way to show solidarity with Udai Tamimi, 22, who has been accused of killing Israeli soldier Sgt. Noa Lazar on October 8.

The bald-headedness of Palestinian youths has become a viral trend on social media in a short time, with images of young people getting their heads shaven at barber shops and homes.

On October 8, an armed attack against Israeli forces at a checkpoint in Shuafat refugee camp led to the killing of the Israeli soldier and wounding of two others.

The Israeli army said Tamimi had hid in the refugee camp, and they surrounded the camp and nearby neighborhoods for five days, where approximately 150,000 Palestinians live.

Israeli troops closed the checkpoints and carried out raids, turning the camp’s streets into battlefields.

As the Israeli army’s blockade of the camp paralyzed daily life, the camp’s residents protested against the siege.

Several human rights organizations have called out Israel for its practice of carrying out “collective punishment” against entire populations for an offence committed by an individual.

People throughout Palestine, particularly in East Jerusalem, staged demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinians in Shuafat. Strikes were declared in many cities, workplaces were closed and education was suspended at schools.