Israeli settlers intensify attacks on Palestinians

Human rights groups denounce the wave of violence that has spread across the West Bank since the start of the Israeli and US offensive against Iran.

Human rights groups and international observers have warned of the recent increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property, as diplomatic and media attention turns to the war in Iran. In the occupied West Bank, five Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel and the United States’ offensive against the Iranian regime on February 28.

“Under the pretext of war, cooperation between the military and Israeli settler militias is deepening the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank,” Israeli rights group B’Tselem wrote on social media on March 6, ahead of the publication of a report detailing the deaths of several Palestinians. “Shortly after the start of the Israeli-American offensive against Iran, Israel imposed broad restrictions on movement on Palestinians.”

According to B’Tselem, “settlers deliberately graze livestock on Palestinians’ cultivated fields, destroy crops and stored food, steal animals, and vandalize solar panels and water reservoirs.”

Iranian missile over the Jewish settlement of Hebron, in the West Bank | Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu Agency/Imago

Following the most recent shooting, this Sunday, the European External Action Service (SEAE) said in a statement that “the level of violence in the West Bank is unacceptable.” The European Union (EU) diplomatic service called on Israeli authorities to “take immediate and effective measures to prevent further attacks against Palestinians and ensure the punishment” of those responsible.

Settler violence increases

In the first ten days of the war against Iran, the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din documented 109 separate incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in 62 communities, including shootings, physical assaults, property damage and threats.

On March 2, two days after the war began, two Palestinian brothers were killed while trying to stop Israeli settlers from damaging an olive grove in Qaryut, a small village in the northern West Bank. Mohammed Taha Muammar was shot dead along with Fahim Taha Muammar.

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the suspect in the shooting was a member of the so-called Israel Defense Forces (IDF) area defense forces, known by the Hebrew acronym Hagmar. These units are usually made up of settlers who serve as reservists.

“Security and stability”

On March 7, a settler shot and killed 28-year-old Amir Muhammad Shanaran and seriously injured his brother Khaled in Wadi A-Rakhim, in the southern Hebron hills. A video released by B’Tselem showed an armed settler who appeared to be wearing a military uniform at the site.

Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups have documented close collaboration between settlers and the Israeli military, with soldiers failing to enforce laws designed to protect Palestinians from settler violence. Some of this violence was driven by reserve soldiers from settlements, who are deployed in the occupied West Bank. These privatized guard units and units have been openly operating against Palestinians in recent months.

Palestinian families resort to makeshift shelters after having their homes destroyed by settlers | Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu Agency/Imago

The third deadly attack occurred in the early hours of Sunday in Abu Falah, a village near Ramallah. Residents said they tried to stop a mob of masked Israelis from vandalizing olive trees in fields around the village. Dozens of armed settlers invaded the town and killed Thaer Faruq Hamayel and Fara Jawdat Hamayel. Both men were shot in the head, according to Palestinian rescue services.

Israeli forces arrived later and fired tear gas into the village, according to witnesses. Another resident died after suffering a cardiac arrest, likely due to gas inhalation, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah said.

The head of the Israel Defense Forces central command responsible for the occupied West Bank, Avi Bluth, classified the incident as “unacceptable”. In a statement, he said that “there will be zero tolerance for civilians who take the law into their own hands. These actions are dangerous, do not represent the Jewish people or the State of Israel, and divert us from our mission to defend the people and prevent terrorism, as well as undermining security and stability in the region.”

So far, there is no information about the possible arrest of the attackers.

Attacks and expulsions intensify

Since the terrorist attacks carried out by the Islamist group Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the Israeli response that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip, the UN and Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups have documented a massive increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, where members of at least 45 communities have been expelled from their homes.

Israeli settlements and outposts are illegal under international law | Mussa Qawasma/Reuters

On March 5, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) reported that eight Palestinian families, totaling about 45 people, had been forced to leave their community in Nablus province following a series of attacks and threats from settlers at a newly established outpost.

Ocha also reported that since the attacks on Iran began, more checkpoints have been blocked and road gates leading to towns and cities have been closed, severely restricting people’s ability to move freely.

In its 2024 Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of Israel’s Policies and Practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the International Court of Justice concluded that Israel’s prolonged occupation and systematic settlement enterprise violate the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, and declared these practices illegal.

Originally published by DW on 03/13/2026

Por Tania Krämer