BBC : Extremist Jewish settlers have carried out a spate of attacks on Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes, vehicles and agricultural fields.
The violence began after a teenage settler – 18-year-old Yehuda Sherman – was killed on Saturday, after reportedly being hit by a vehicle driven by a Palestinian while on his quad bike. Police said they were investigating whether the hit was deliberate or accidental.
In response, WhatsApp groups used by settlers called for a “revenge campaign” over his death. More than 20 settler attacks were reported overnight, according to a defence official cited by Israeli media.
Settler violence has surged since the US and Israel attacked Iran, with six Palestinians killed by settlers since 1 March, according to the United Nations (UN).
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that its troops and border police units were dispatched to several Palestinian villages on Saturday night, after receiving reports of Israeli civilians “committing acts of arson against structures and property, as well as engaging in disturbances in the area”.
The villages of Jalud, Qaryut, al-Funduqmiya and Silat al-Dhah were among those targeted.
Footage shared online, which the BBC could not independently verify, appeared to show more than 90 individuals wearing black – many of them masked – running into Jalud.
Other footage said to be from the village shows multiple vehicles on fire, buildings with smashed windows, and sirens ringing out as ambulances attend the scene. One photo shows the words “Avenge Yehuda” spray-painted onto a building.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said at least three Palestinians suffered head wounds and were taken to hospital after confronting the attackers in Jalud, some of whom were also reportedly injured.
Israeli media reported that one post in a WhatsApp group used by settlers read: “Jews won’t remain silent over spilled Jewish blood”. Another read: “We demand vengeance and expulsion of the enemy”.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the assault, saying it involved the “burning of homes and property, terrorising and killing of civilians, and the targeting of vital roads, junctions, and main streets during Eid al-Fitr”.
Israeli police said on Sunday that border guards had arrested five individuals near the village of Deir al-Hatab. It also said that one officer was injured after several Israeli civilians attacked security forces near the Itamar settlement, adding that police were operating “with zero tolerance toward extremist violent individuals”.
Yesh Din, an Israeli civil rights group that works to protect the rights of Palestinians, described the attacks as “a night of pogroms”.
“Despite prior knowledge of the planned attacks, forces once again failed to prepare accordingly,” the group said in a statement posted on X on Sunday evening. “No preventive measures were put in place to stop the pogroms.”
