A group of Israeli settlers attacked the village of Jalud in the northern occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes and vehicles in an assault that authorities characterized as part of an ongoing wave of violence in the territory. The attack targeted two homes belonging to the Tubasi family, which had recently received a court decision allowing them to return after approximately two months of displacement. According to local sources, the fires caused extensive damage and created panic among residents, while Israeli forces provided protection to the settlers and eventually forced the family to evacuate their homes again at gunpoint.
The Israeli military acknowledged that more than 100 settlers rioted in the area, blocking roads and preventing the family’s return from being completed. The military stated that soldiers and border police attempted to disperse the rioters and protect residents, but the mission to facilitate the family’s return could not be finished due to the violence. Homeowner Mahmoud Tubasi reported that the family discovered extensive destruction when they arrived and that settlers returned during the night to set the house on fire.
This incident occurred amid a broader pattern of escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank. The Tubasi family had initially been forced from their homes in July following repeated harassment. United Nations records indicated more than 1,330 settler-related attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank from January through late July, averaging six incidents daily and representing the highest rate in approximately two decades.
Additional attacks were reported on the same date in other West Bank locations, including an assault on an elderly Palestinian woman in Qaryut and attacks on homes in al-Mughayyir. International observers have expressed concern about the trend. The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Israel and occupied territory delegation called for an end to the frequent and severe violence, emphasizing authorities’ responsibility to protect populations. The United States Ambassador to Israel previously characterized settlers engaged in violence as terrorists, while UN officials have warned that the rise in settler violence with alleged state support poses an existential threat to Palestinian communities.
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