Suspected honour killing of 21-year-old woman sparks Palestinian protests

'Israa was murdered by members of her family after she posted a selfie video of an outing with her fiance,' says campaign group

Ms Ghrayeb’s brother, Ihab, a Canadian resident, allegedly beat and tortured her in their family home after she shared a video on social media with a man she was planning to marry (AP)

Palestinians have taken to the streets to protest against the suspected honour killing of a 21-year-old woman.

Israa Ghrayeb, a Palestinian make-up artist from Beit Sahour in the occupied West Bank, died on 22 August after being severely injured at home two weeks earlier.

Campaigners say she was severely beaten by family members in a so-called honour killing attack and have called for an end to domestic abuse and femicide which is defined at the gender-motivated killing of women.

Ghrayeb’s brother, Ihab, allegedly beat and tortured her in their family home after she shared a video on social media showing her with a man she was planning to marry.

The young women fell from the second-floor balcony of her parents’ home as she attempted to escape his violence. She is reported to have broken her spine.

Her brother, who is a Canadian resident, was apparently incensed by the video – saying it “dishonoured” the family by presenting herself with her husband-to-be ahead of the actual wedding, according to local media.

The young woman’s father allegedly ordered her brother to beat her after family members witnessed the footage online.

After being admitted to hospital following the initial attack, Ghrayeb said she would not be able to work for the next two months as she waited for a spinal chord operation in a post on her Instagram account.

“I’m strong and I have the will to live – if I didn’t have this willpower, I would have died yesterday,” she said. “Don’t send me messages telling me to be strong, I am strong. May god be the judge of those who oppressed me and hurt me.”

Her brother, along with other male relatives, reportedly brutally beat her in the hospital after the posts. Footage surfaced on social media of her screaming and begging for her life during the attack.

“Israa was murdered by members of her family after she posted a selfie video of an outing with her fiance. The crime is being called an ‘honour’ killing, but this is misleading and false. There is no honour in murder,” the Palestinian NGO Adalah Justice Project said.

Ghrayeb’s family have claimed they are not responsible for her death and she instead died of a heart attack. Officials have yet to release a post-mortem.

Dozens of Palestinian women demonstrated in the Palestinian city of Ramallah on Monday after other Palestinians descended on the streets of Bethlehem on Saturday to express anger over her death.

People on social media have voiced their outrage about the case – with the hashtag #WeAreAllIsraa gaining increasing traction on Twitter.

The Palestinian police have yet to comment on the case.

Honour killings are defined as the killing of a relative, especially a girl or woman, who is perceived to have brought dishonour on the family.