Armed Israeli Settlers Raid West Bank Village, Vandalize Palestinian Property
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Armed Israeli settlers stormed a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, damaging property and obstructing residents from accessing their land, according to human rights groups and eyewitnesses.
Armed illegal settlers entered Ras Ein al-Auja, a Bedouin village north of Jericho in the eastern West Bank, eyewitnesses and activists said.
They brought herds of sheep with them, allowing the animals to graze near Palestinian homes.
This resulted in property damage and disruption to daily life in the village.
Hassan Mleihat, coordinator of the al-Baydar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights, said the settlers acted in organized groups.
“Settler attacks on Bedouin communities have sharply escalated and now target every aspect of Bedouin life,” Mleihat said.
The violence extended to the northern Jordan Valley, where settlers reportedly stole water pumps and destroyed crops in Khirbet al-Deir.
The area is located in the northeastern occupied West Bank, under the jurisdiction of the Tubas governorate.
According to the Palestinian government’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, settler activity has surged since the beginning of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023.
The commission reported that 60 illegal settler outposts have been established across the West Bank since then, with 51 erected in 2024 alone.
The same period saw violence from settlers displace 29 Palestinian communities, leading to the uprooting of 311 families – roughly 2,000 individuals.
Tensions remain high across the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian data indicates that since October 2023, at least 952 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,000 injured.
In a landmark decision in July 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful.
The court ordered the removal of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Al-Quds.
