A report Of Israeli attacks during August
Settler Militias Across the West Bank
Since October 7, in parallel with the ever-worsening genocide against the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, settler militias, alongside Israeli apartheid forces, have escalated the ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank. The apartheid Wall, the closure of roads, and the deployment of over 750 barriers, gates, and checkpoints between villages, isolating them from one another, have allowed settler militias to intensify their attacks. With no real deterrent, they have violently targeted Palestinian communities, with full protection and support from Israeli apartheid forces, aiming to seize lands and displace communities in the West Bank.
The rise in aggressions spearheaded by the settler militias is not limited to Masafer Yatta but is a systematic policy across the West Bank. Between October 7, 2023, and August 19, 2024, Israeli settlers carried out approximately 1,270 attacks against Palestinians, including East Jerusalem. These attacks resulted in around 120 Palestinian casualties and injuries, 1,020 incidents of property damage, and about 130 cases involving both casualties and property damage.
From August 13 to 19, 2024, settlers perpetrated 27 attacks, killing one Palestinian, injuring seven, and torching and damaging homes, shelters, and other property in the villages. Additionally, 45 Palestinians, including 28 children, were displaced due to settler violence and harassment. On August 15, over 100 settlers attacked Jit village, killing one Palestinian and burning a home, three yards, and four vehicles.
The role of the settlers in Israel’s ethnic cleansing efforts in the West Bank has become more important since the start of the current Netanyahu government in January 2023 and the implementation of a strategy of further arming and organizing settler militias. Consequently, there has been a steep rise in attacks by the settler militias. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), in the first half of 2023 alone, settlers killed and injured 166 Palestinians and perpetrated 427 attacks torching, and destroying property across the West Bank.
Escalation of Attacks in Masafer Yatta
In recent months, the brutal assaults by Israeli settlers, supported by Israeli apartheid forces, on Palestinian families have intensified in Masafer Yatta. These systematic attacks are part of a broader strategy by Israeli authorities to accelerate the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land.
Apartheid Israel has extended its policy of ethnic cleansing, which started with the mass expulsion of Palestinians during the Nakba in 1948, to Masafer Yatta in 1981. Israel declared 12 villages in Masafer Yatta as part of Firing Zone 918, a 3,000-hectare area of Palestinian land. In 1999, Israeli forces expelled residents from these villages. On May 4, 2022, the Israeli Supreme Court approved the ethnic cleansing of eight villages, a decision now being enforced by settlers with the backing of the Israeli government and military.
Timeline of aggression in Masafer Yatta during August 2024:
In the aftermath of the verdict of the International Court of Justice recognizing Israel commits the crime of apartheid and confirming the illegality of its presence in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, Israel’s aggression against the Palestinian people has only intensified.
Emboldened by impunity, throughout August apartheid Israel has intensified attacks especially in the areas of the West Bank most threatened with displacement, leading up to August 28 and the so-called “Summer Camps” military operation, targeting particularly the Palestinian camps of those that are already refugees.
The timeline below shows the multilayered attacks against the Palestinian communities Israel intends to expel from their lands.
“Every settler attack carried out under the protection of Israeli forces goes unpunished, highlighting the lack of international attention and sanctions on Israel. The settlers, who live in illegal outposts, exploit the ongoing war to commit more crimes and seize land, not only in Masafer Yatta but across the entire West Bank,” explains Mohammad Hurraini, a member of “Youth of Sumud” a group of Palestinian youth living in Masafer Yatta dedicated to fostering the steadfastness of their community and to prevent its ethnic cleansing.
August 31. 2024: Following the events of October 7, the distinction between Israel’s official army and its settler militia became ever more blurred. Many members of the settler militia joined the army, and both military wings of Israel’s apartheid regime worked hand in hand to intensify confrontations with Palestinian families in Area C of the West Bank. The settler militias’ aggression escalates when they don Israeli army uniforms. In one incident, a settler in uniform, accompanied by two armed militia members, stormed the land of the Hurraini family and threatened and insulted Muhammad Hurani and his brother, Sami Hurraini. When Sami refused to show his ID, the settlers handcuffed and arrested him. After more than an hour, an Israeli police vehicle showed up and took him to the settlement of Havat Ma’On. There, Sami was further humiliated by settlers. He was handcuffed, his head was wrapped in tape leaving only his mouth exposed for breathing, and a garbage bag was placed over his head. Terrified, he feared for his life, recalling the murder of Mohammad Abu Khdeir, the Palestinian teen kidnapped by settlers and then burned to death.
After five hours, Sami found himself at a police station in the settlement of Kiryat Arba. He was not questioned but was instead warned to comply with the orders of the settler militias in the future, just as he is supposed to obey the military. This case highlights two alarming trends: first, settler militias are increasingly adopting Israeli military uniforms to exert more control over Palestinians, and second, the Israeli border police and military effectively instruct Palestinians to obey settler militias, legitimizing their actions as part of their official military structure.
August 25. 2024: The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the assassination of 46-year-old Iyad Ayed Abdel Najjar, who was shot in the head by Israeli apartheid forces near the apartheid wall in Janba, in the south of Masafer Yatta. Since October 7, the number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, has risen to 645, including 147 children, making it one of the deadliest years for them.
August 24, 2024: Over 50 settlers stormed the village of Susiya, assaulting Palestinian families in the village. The settler militias broke cameras and vehicles. A Palestinian man and a Palestinian woman were injured and attacked.
Samiha Salama Al-Nawaj’a, a 54-year-old farmer, was born and raised in a family dedicated to livestock farming. She has lived her entire life in the same place, devoting herself to supporting her family, which includes her husband and eight children, by raising sheep and making cheese. Through her hard work, she was able to educate and provide for her children, who have all come to love and assist in herding and cheese-making, their only source of income. Despite the challenges, Samiha finds joy in this work, which has become a unifying force for her family.
However, one night, their life was shattered when a group of 50 settlers, armed with sticks and knives, attacked their tent. The settlers burned the tent, mercilessly beat Samiha and her children, and destroyed everything they had built. Samiha was struck on the head and thrown to the ground, breaking her hand. Her son Mohammed, who tried to defend her, suffered burns on both hands, as did his younger sister Hanan. The family’s farm, which had been painstakingly established over many years, was set ablaze, and 20 sheep were stolen. Samiha and her children, along with four farmers who came to their aid, were taken to the hospital. Samiha sustained a severe head injury, leaving her disoriented and with a broken hand. She is currently in intensive care due to the severity of her injuries.
Susiya is a Palestinian village located east of Yatta in the Hebron governorate, home to about 400 people who rely on livestock grazing and olive tree vineyard reclamation for their livelihood. It is classified within what the Oslo Accords called Area C, under full Israeli control and slated for annexation. Despite the rising tension and fear, the people of Susiya remain determined to hold onto their land.
This attack was not the first attack that the families have been subjected to during this month. On August 21 Israeli settlers stormed the village of Susyia and stole the wire barrier of a house in the village.
August 14, 2024: Israeli apartheid forces raided the village of Umm Al Khair and demolished six houses. Over 28 Palestinians, including 20 children, are now homeless again, forced to endure the harsh summer heat without shelter. These homes were the same ones the Palestinians had just rebuilt after being left homeless by the demolitions on June 26th. Now, in less than two months, they are living through the same nightmare again.
The small village of Um Al Khair, home to 35 families and around 200 people, is under constant threat. Nearly 95% of their houses have demolition orders hanging over them. This means that any one of them could become homeless at any time, with no warning. The land they live on was purchased by their ancestors in the 1960s. They s have therefore owned this private land for a long time, even before any Israeli presence in the area.
The pretext for these demolitions is a supposed lack of building permits, which are nearly impossible to obtain under the criminal apartheid policies of the authorities and over which Israeli occupation forces have no legal standing to decide. This excuse is used to justify the ongoing displacement of their community, leaving them in a state of perpetual threat to their homes. This latest demolition marks the 18th time the village of Um Al Khair has been targeted since 2007.
“Every night, we go to bed expecting it to be our last night in our homes. The fear of waking up to another demolition has left us emotionally overwhelmed. The toll this takes on our mental and emotional well-being is immeasurable,” explains Tariq Hathaleen, one of the residents of Um Al Khair.
August 6, 2024: Early in the morning on Tuesday, August 6, the residents of Tuba were attacked by violent settler militias who attempted to steal a herd of 400 sheep.
Tuba is a Palestinian village in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank. These settlers came from the direction of Nekudat Hachavah, which is an outpost of Havat Maon, which in turn is an outpost of the settlement of Maon.
The residents were grazing their sheep, as they do every morning, on their wheat fields about 150 meters from the village houses.
Settlers from Nekudat Hachavah entered the land and tried to steal the herd of sheep, which is the livelihood of an entire extended family.
Instead of continuing to pursue the sheep, the settlers shifted their attention to two of Tuba’s landowners, Ali Awad, and his relative, and attacked both of them with a club. Ali was badly bruised and his ankle was fractured. During the attack, a third family member managed to return the sheep to the village after the settlers had already led them almost to the outpost. The incident could have easily ended differently, with even more serious injuries and a potential loss of hundreds of thousands of shekels. Because the settlers are encouraged by the Israeli authorities and military forces in their actions, these violent attacks against Palestinian communities will continue to multiply and increase in brutality.
August 5, 2024: In Al Jawaya village, Masafer Yatta, Israeli military forces demolished a Palestinian water well, depriving residents of a crucial water supply.
August 2, 2024: In Tuba a Palestinian shepherd, Hamzeh Abu Jendieh, was chased by an armed Israeli settler, Isashar Manne. Manne is one of the settlers, who the U.S. had recently sanctioned. Despite these sanctions, settler violence has only intensified, highlighting the ineffectiveness of Western sanctions against settler militia members. This underscores the urgent need for stronger, more effective actions and sanctions against apartheid Israel, its leaders, and state institutions as those responsible for Israel’s settlement enterprise in order to prevent the ongoing crimes committed against the Palestinian people.
August 1, 2024: Israeli forces and settlers raided a Palestinian house in Al Tuwani, arresting Waseem Rabaee. The random arrests perpetrated by settlers and the military continue to escalate in the area, threatening all Palestinian residents who remain steadfast in their communities.
Conclusion
The ongoing and escalating violence by Israeli settlers and apartheid forces in the West Bank, particularly in Masafer Yatta, is a calculated effort to displace Palestinians and seize their lands. These attacks, supported by the Israeli government and military, have intensified in recent months, further threatening the survival and well-being of Palestinian communities and are part of the continuous Nakba, the decades-long ethnic cleansing policy, which is at the core of Israel’s settler colonial project.
Especially after the July 19 verdict of the International Court of Justice on the illegality of Israel’s military occupation, which also reaffirmed the right of the displaced Palestinians to return to their homes, underlined the inalienable right of the entire Palestinian people to self-determination and confirmed the urgent obligation of all states to take action to end Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights and international law, there is no excuse left. The international community must sanction Israel now in order to address these systematic violations of human rights, protect the Palestinian people from Israel’s ongoing ethnic cleansing efforts, and ensure the right of all Palestinians to return home to their lands and receive reparations.
“Many of the activities of Youth of Sumud activities have been paused since October 7 because it became too dangerous in the face of the increased brutality of armed settler militias. The actions we can still take are to monitor and document all violations and crimes to raise awareness about what is happening. We hope that the international community will intervene and put an end to these crimes,” said Mohammed Hurraini
