Shots fired at detained 1948 Palestinian activist Mohammed Taher Jabarin's home

The home of a detained Palestinian activist was attacked in the city of Umm al-Fahm in Israel on Friday night, resulting in significant property damage but no reported injuries.

Mohammed Taher Jabarin has been in custody since 19 October for his role in protests against the war on Gaza.

This incident follows an earlier attack on the home of activist and lawyer Ahmad Khalifa, also detained on similar charges. 

The Israeli Public Prosecution has charged both Jabarin and Khalifa with incitement and affiliation with a "terrorist organisation" holding both at Megiddo prison.

Mohammed's mother, Umm al-Baraa Jabarin told The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the attack occurred around midnight. She added that the gunfire specifically targeted Mohammed's apartment, sparing other parts of the building.

"We have not visited Mohammed since his arrest, and there has been no phone contact. We only saw him through video conference sessions in the Haifa court.

"Even the lawyer faced difficulties in speaking with him, and we were not allowed to bring him clothes or provide any canteen expenses, which makes the conditions very difficult," Mohammed’s mother added.

The Abnaa Al-Balad movement in Umm al-Fahm, which advocates for the rights of Palestinians inside Israel's 1948 borders, condemned the shooting attack targeting the Jabarin home, holding the Israeli police and intelligence fully responsible.

They noted that violence by right-wing extremists has been rising in particular, ever since Itamar Ben Gvir became the National Security Minister in 2022.

Between 7 October and 25 November, over 3,160 Palestinians were detained by Israel in the West Bank according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, with many Palestinian citizens of Israel also arrested for speaking out against the brutal bombardment of Gaza.

The total number of Palestinians held in administrative detention also increased sharply around this time. Between 1 October and 1 November, the total number of Palestinians held in administrative detention, without charge or trial, rose from 1,319 to 2,070, the Israeli human rights organization HaMoked said.