Khaled Adkidak, 20, from the town of Silwan in East Jerusalem, was killed on Friday evening, December 19, 2025, in a traffic accident at the Bilu Junction near Rehovot. The circumstances of the accident are still under police investigation, but by Sunday this week, Palestinians in Jerusalem had already held a mass funeral for him on the Temple Mount – one traditionally reserved for a shahid.
In Palestinian discourse, the term “shahid” is used to describe someone regarded as a martyr, often applied to those who die in circumstances perceived as connected to the conflict.
How was Khaled Adkidak killed in the traffic accident at Bilu Junction?
The fatal traffic accident occurred on Route 411 near the Bilu Junction, involving a private vehicle and a pedestrian. MDA medical teams who were called to the scene provided medical treatment to a man in his 20s, who was later identified as Khaled Adkidak, a resident of Silwan in Jerusalem. He was critically injured, suffering from a severe head injury, and was evacuated to Kaplan Medical Center while unconscious and in unstable condition. Later, at the hospital, doctors were forced to pronounce his death.
MDA paramedic Yehuda Shoshana and emergency medical technician Oren Mazor said: “We saw a man in his 30s lying on the road, unconscious and suffering from a severe head injury. We provided life-saving medical treatment and evacuated him to the hospital in unstable condition.”
Upon receiving the report, traffic investigators from the Shfela District of the Israel Police arrived at the scene and began collecting evidence and examining the circumstances of the accident. As part of the investigation, all aspects are being reviewed, including road conditions, human factors, and other elements that led to the serious incident.
The investigation has not yet concluded, but the very fact that Adkidak was run over and killed in the heart of the country, perceived by Palestinians as having been caused by a Jewish driver, was enough for them to regard him as a shahid.
Where in East Jerusalem did the funeral procession pass?
On Sunday, a mass and agitated funeral was held for Adkidak through the streets of Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount. The funeral procession passed through the main street of East Jerusalem, and the coffin was brought, in order to pay last respects to the deceased, into the Al-Aqsa compound on the Temple Mount through the Lions’ Gate, amid clashes with police officers who sought to prevent disturbances. The coffin was later brought for burial at the ancient Muslim cemetery of Al-Sahra, near Damascus Gate.
