Mentally ill Palestinian teen beaten to death in ‘exorcism’

Two ‘healers’ hired to banish ‘evil spirits’ arrested, as well as victim’s father and brother

Illustrative photo of Palestinian ambulances (Abed Rahim Khatib/ FLASH90)
Illustrative photo of Palestinian ambulances (Abed Rahim Khatib/ FLASH90)

A young Palestinian man died on Tuesday after being badly beaten in an “exorcism,” medical and police sources in the West Bank town of Hebron said.

The family of the 19-year-old with psychological problems had called in two “healers,” a man and a woman, who beat the young man to drive out evil “spirits,” Palestinian police sources said.

He was critically injured and taken to a hospital in Hebron where he died, police and medics said.

The pair who administered the beating were arrested, as were the victim’s father and brother.

According to a report in Al-Monitor, a 17-year-old Palestinian girl died during an exorcism in February 2014, after a “healer” forced a saltwater mixture down her throat.

Other reported incidents of exorcism resulted in the deaths of two Palestinian women with psychological problems in 2011 and 1998.

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.