Yazid Jaaysa is a Palestinian fighter born in the Jenin camp in the northern West Bank. He devoted his life to defending his homeland and standing up to the Israeli occupation, whether through resistance work or facing arrests and security prosecutions. Since his youth, he joined the ranks of the Palestinian resistance and belonged to the Jenin Brigade.
He was killed by Palestinian Authority security forces on December 14, 2024, during armed clashes that broke out in the vicinity of the Jenin camp.
Birth and upbringing
Yazid Muhammad Nayef Jaaysa was born in 1996 in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, and grew up in light of the repeated incursions into the camp by the Israeli occupation forces and the Palestinian Authority security services.
He worked in the field of electrical installations, and was known for his calm and balance when dealing with others, in addition to his limited speech, which reflected his balanced and reserved personality.
Thought and ideological orientation
Ja’aysa adopted a Palestinian nationalist orientation. He was influenced by militant movements, believed in armed struggle against the Israeli occupation, and considered armed resistance and direct response to the occupation and its massacres as a means to achieve the freedom and independence of the Palestinian people.
Struggle experience
Since his youth, Jaaysa has been involved in the ranks of the Palestinian resistance. He belonged to the Jenin Brigade, pledging to defend the rights of his people. The environment surrounding him and his daily life in the camp shaped the features of his struggling personality.
In 2019, he was seriously injured in the abdomen during the occupation forces’ invasion of the Jenin camp. He was arrested several times by the Israeli occupation forces, and spent a total of 4 years in prison.
He was arrested for the first time in Megiddo Prison, where he spent two and a half years, and faced various types of torture. On November 28, 2019, the occupation forces raided his house in Jenin, re-arrested him, and interrogated him in Al-Jalama Detention Center for two weeks, then the Salem Court issued a ruling to imprison him for 13 years. One month and a fine of two thousand shekels.
During his detention, his trial was postponed 7 times in an attempt to weaken his resolve, but he remained steadfast in his position until he was released on December 15, 2020.
After his release, the occupation forces targeted him many times, considered him a security wanted man and described him as an “outlaw.”
Martyrdom
Yazid Jaaysa was killed by Palestinian Authority security forces on December 14, 2024, during armed clashes that broke out in the vicinity of the Jenin camp, amid a wide siege imposed by the security services on the camp 5 days before his death.
On the day of his martyrdom, the authorities surrounded Jenin Governmental Hospital, searched ambulances, stormed Ibn Sina Hospital, and prevented the people from saying goodbye to Ja’aysa.
The spokesman for the Palestinian security services, Brigadier General Anwar Rajab, responded to the criticism directed against the security services in Jenin, saying that they had “achieved great successes” in maintaining order in the city and the camp against what he described as “outlaws” in reference to those resisting the occupation.
