Violence and terror of settlers, occupation army, and Ben Gvirs militias are rising at record levels

By: Madeeha Al-A’ra
The ‘National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements stated in its latest weekly report , that the Israeli Occupation Authorities are wreaking havoc and destruction in the West Bank, and expanding their use of brutal tools in all villages and towns. Very recently, over several days, the village of Al-Mughayyir, located northeast of Ramallah, was an example of such actions. The occupation forces launched a large-scale military campaign targeting the village, imposing a siege and a curfew, uprooting hundreds of olive trees, destroying hundreds of dunams of agricultural land, and damaging the infrastructure.
This is a repeated example of collective punishment, just as was the case in the towns of Bruqin and Deir Ballut in the Salfeet Governorate, Kafr Malik and Barqa in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, Um Al-Khair in the Hebron Governorate, Duma and Qasra in the Nablus Governorate, and other villages and towns in the occupied West Bank countryside.
The pace of targeting the Al-Mughayir village increased since Oct. 7, 2023, as the occupation army and armed settler gangs alternate between carrying out attacks on the residents, in addition to destroying homes and their contents, preventing movement, closing shops and important facilities, including health facilities, and seizing its lands. The occupation army announced the seizure of 267 dunums of the remaining village lands for military purposes, harming more than 4,000 citizens of the village s lands, which cover an area of 43 thousand dunums, only less than a thousand dunums remain for the residents after the remaining area was confiscated for the benefit of settlements.
The village is surrounded by 9 settlement outposts on all sides, which has led to the escalation of confrontation between the residents and the occupation and its settlers. Over the past few months, the village has been subjected to deadly attacks, most notably a massive attack by about 1,600 settlers, during which they burned more than 40 homes and vehicles.
The Israeli army operating in the West Bank, most of whose members are residents of the settlements, is a -dir-ect partner of Jewish criminal organizations operating from settlements, outposts, and pastoral farms. Recently, on the 25ththis month, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a formal complaint with the Military Advocate General, demanding the opening of a criminal investigation against the commander of the Israeli Central Command, Avi Balut, on suspicion of committing war crimes in the West Bank, according to a statement from the association. This is the first time since the beginning of the brutal war on Gaza that a complaint has been filed against a high-ranking Israeli officer on charges of committing war crimes in the occupied West Bank.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel stated in the complaint, ‘For many months now, violence has been unleashed in the occupied West Bank, and war crimes and crimes against humanity have become part of the daily reality. However, what is alarming is that the army has not only publicly acknowledged this, but has also embraced it.’ It noted that the destructive and vengeful doctrine of ‘no innocents’ implemented in Gaza has now spread to the occupied West Bank under a new name, "formation operations." The complaint comes against the backof the army s operations in the village of al-Mughayir, which included the uprooting about 3,100 trees, extensive property damage, and the imposition of collective punishment on the village s residents.
Within the context, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has documented more than 1,000 attacks by Israeli settlers in 230 communities across the West Bank since the beginning of 2025, resulting in casualties, property damage,´-or-both. More than 60% of these attacks occurred in the Ramallah, Nablus, and Hebron Governorates. In total, 11 Palestinians were killed during these attacks, including 5 by Israeli settlers, 5 by Israeli forces, and 1 whose identity remains unknown. 696 Palestinians were also injured during these attacks, including 473 by Israeli settlers, 217 by Israeli forces, and 6 whose identity remains unknown.
By comparison, 11 Palestinians were killed in settler attacks in 2024, including 3 by Israeli settlers, 2 by Israeli forces, and 6 whose identity remains unknown. 486 Palestinians were also injured in settler attacks last year, including 362 by Israeli settlers, 115 by Israeli forces, and 9 who were still unknown whether they were injured by Israeli settlers´-or-Israeli forces.
The Duma village near Al-Mughayyir also afflicted by settlements and targeted by the occupation army and Jewish terrorist organizations active in the area. Al-Mughayyir in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate and Duma in the Nablus Governorate overlook the central Jordan Valley and are the guard gate of this region, hence the aggressive focus on the two villages. Recently, in a scene that brings to mind bloody chapters of the tragedy of this village, the young Palestinian man, Thameen Dawabsheh, was martyred by Israeli settlers’ bullets, days after the 10thanniversary of the Dawabsheh family massacre, which claimed the lives of the infant Ali Dawabsheh and his parents.
This crime renews fears of continued targeting of the village amid escalating settler attacks, public incitement by settlers, and clear complicity by the Israeli occupation forces, evidenced by the situation in the village. No sooner had the funeral of the martyr ‘Thamin’ concluded than several of its participants were arrested after a settler from the settlement outposts surrounding the village posted an inciting post on Telegram. The post included photos of the funeral, circles on the faces of five mourners, and the inflammatory question: ‘Why weren t these people arrested?" The following night, occupation forces raided the village and arrested the 5 young men.
The Khirbet Um al-Khair village, in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron, is faring no better in its suffering at the hands of settlers and occupation forces. This village experienced days of siege and collective intimidation following the martyrdom of the young man, Awda al-Hathalin, by an Israeli settler at the end of July while peacefully resisting land leveling operations targeting his family s land. While these measures are being imposed on residents, the Israeli Magistrate s Court in Jerusalem released settler Yinon Levy, the killer of the martyr Odeh al-Hathalin, and allowed settlers to continue their bulldozing of citizens lands inside the village. Just a day after the martyr s funeral, the occupation forces expelled journalists, activists, and anyone coming from outside the village.
They closed the funeral, prevented the mourning ceremonies, and threatened residents, through an officer, that they could easily displace the entire population of Um al-Khair, according to Sheikh Ibrahim al-Hathalin, head of the Khashm al-Daraj village council and a resident of the villagesaying: ‘Khirbet Um al-Khair is one of the oldest villages south of Hebron and serves as the gateway to Masafer Yatta. It is home to 32 families, totaling 210 people, where all of its homes are under threat of demolition, having received official orders. The village has been subjected to repeated demolitions over the past 2 decades including homes, sheep pens, and property, with the number of demolitions reaching about 18 times.
The village is located adjacent to the Carmel settlement, which was established on its lands in 1980. It is the second settlement in the Hebron Governorate after Kiryat Arba. Settler Yinon Levy lives in the Mitrim settlement, an illegal outpost established by Levy himself in southern Hebron in 2021. He lives there with his family and a herd of livestock, and uses surveillance cameras and security systems for his personal security. In 2024, the United States, the European -union-, and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on him for leading terrorist acts against Palestinians in southern Hebron, including physical assaults, the destruction of agricultural property, and death threats.
Those are the latest examples of settler terrorism in the West Bank. They clearly illustrate the relationship between these settlers and the occupation forces operating in the West Bank, which, as we have noted, are mostly composed of settlers recruited by Israel to compensate for the transfer of its soldiers to work in the Gaza Strip. These units are closer to the militia gangs established by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. On July 10, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced the establishment of a police unit of scores of settlers with the aim of implementing Tel Aviv s ‘sovereignty’ over the occupied West Bank.
Ben-Gvir built a heavily armed militia army for his ministry, which he distributed among its members according to unprofessional standards. At the same time, he instructed police units operating in the West Bank not to cooperate with so-called law enforcement agencies, such as the Shin Bet, to control settler violence. Last July, he also announced the formation of a new unit he called the Rapid Response Unit for Emergency Situations. This came during a ceremony held at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, according to a statement from the Israeli police.
In its statement, Ben-Gvir s police announced the opening of the West Bank Police s First Response Unit, with the participation of the Minister of National Security and senior police and army officials. The statement added, ‘The new unit includes dozens of volunteers from the towns –settlements - and was established with the aim of providing a rapid and effective response in emergency situations, in addition to contributing to combating crimes and enhancing personal security in the area.’
It also indicated preparations for the continued escalation against Palestinians in the West Bank. ‘More than 100 volunteers have received advanced combat training and equipment and have been granted special police powers.’ Regarding the idea behind its establishment, the police said, ‘The unit was established based on strategic thinking and lessons learned from the Oct. 7, 2023, security events, with the aim of providing a rapid, professional, and effective response to any incident.’ With this step, it affirmed the Israel Police s commitment to strengthening the defense of the settlements.
Within the context, Avshalom Peled, Deputy Commissioner of Police, said that ‘the first response units are a volunteer force whose role is to assist the Israeli police units in their duties, and that the unit aims to form an additional layer in enhancing the personal security of Israeli citizens, residents of Judea and Samaria i.e. (settlers in the West Bank).’ Ben-Gvir considered the volunteers ‘an integral part of society, and they provide a rapid response in the field, and this is their advantage,’ and stressed that the step reflects ‘real sovereignty and practical Zionism,’ referring to efforts to annex the West Bank to Israel, came in a letter signed by 14 Israeli ministers and Knesset speaker, Amir Ohana, sent to Netanyahu, demanding the immediate application of ‘sovereignty over the West Bank.’
On another level, the Israeli Army Radio revealed that Israeli PM Netanyahu, FM Smotrich, and a number of Israeli ministers participated in a dinner organized by the Settlements Council in Ramallah to celebrate the government s intention to ‘legalize’ 17 new settlement outposts in the West Bank. Yisrael Gantz, head of the Mitte Binyamin settlement council and head of the West Bank Settlements Council, announced that this meeting is a prelude to ‘legalizing’ settlement outposts, most of which are pastoral, in the West Bank, and transforming them into ‘officially recognized’ settlements.
This step transforms the settlement outposts from ‘illegal’ status to official settlements, noting that they are built on private land owned by Palestinian families, which means granting these outposts permanent status and transforming them into settlements with a complete infrastructure, including kindergartens, schools, clinics, and parks, accompanied by the confiscation of additional Palestinian land under the pretext of ‘public benefit.’ Observers believe that this step represents a -dir-ect reinforcement of the settlement project and serves to impose Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and undermine any possibility of establishing an independent Palestinian State.
Within the context, the Security Cabinet is expected to convene in a session to discuss the declaration of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank. This comes in response to the intention of several countries to recognize a Palestinian state next September and the expected Israeli response to the wave of recognitions of a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly, according to Kan 11. One of the proposals put forward as a response is to declare Israeli sovereignty over parts of the occupied West Bank.
The FM Smotrich, a hardline right-winger has called for an announcement of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, alongside the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority. This move is opposed by security chiefs. This also comes after several countries around the world announced their intention to recognize a Palestinian State next month, including France, Spain, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Finland, Luxembourg, Portugal, and San Marino.

List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:

- Handing over 17 eviction orders for families from the Al-Mashahid Neighborhood in the Um Tuba town. The eviction orders claimed that the land on which the threatened homes were built was registered in the name of the so-called ‘Jewish National Fund.’Demolishing structures in Wadi Sabiha in the village of Sur Baher, including livestock barns and agricultural sheds belonging to families from Sur Baher, Al-Sawahra, and Al-Ubaidia, which had been built there for about 16 years.
- Notifying the demolition of 3 homes belonging to 3 brothers in the Arab Al-Ka abneh community, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, who have lived there for more than 40 years.
- Bulldozing agricultural land, demolished an agricultural room, destroyed water tanks, and swept away the iron fence and gate surrounding the land in the Al-Issawiya town. Injuring a 50-year-old Palestinian citizen by a settler attack in the Jaba area near Jerusalem, and then admitted to the hospital.
Hebron:

- Establishing 3 new outposts in Masafer Yatta, erecting a large menorah and scores of mobile homes on the lands of the village of Birin. The new outposts have occupied about 6,400 dunams of land.
- Bulldozing large areas of citizens land in the Hamra area, near the Havat Ma on settlement’.
- Attacking shepherds in the Al-Mafqara village in Masafer Yatta and attempted to steal a number of sheep, before citizens and foreign activists confronted them.
- Excavating and bulldozing in citizens lands in the Al-Rihiya area, south of Hebron. This work included agricultural lands owned by citizens, paving roads and leveling large areas, in a step considered a prelude to establishing new settlement projects. Injuring Mustafa Abdel Qader Melhem, 60, and the Eiyad Yousef Melhem after a group of settlers attacked them with severe beatings, stones and clubs while they were picking grapes in the Khirbet Al-Qat area, north of Hebron, causing them severe injuries.
Bethlehem:

- Notifying the demolition of shops and commercial establishments in the Husan village, in the Al-Mashahid area at the western entrance to the village. These establishments belong to the following citizens: Ali Lafi Shousha ‘mobile home/grocery store’, Ahmed Mustafa Hamamra ‘building materials’, Abdul Hay Abdul Aziz Shousha ‘car wash’, the brothers Ashraf and Moh’d Ja afreh ‘used tools store’, and Diaa Za oul ‘car wash’, in the Al-Shurafa area.
- Demolishing an agricultural room owned by Moh’d Theeb Masha leh, located in the Marah Al-Foul area west of the In the Al-Jab a village under the pretext of lacking a license.
- Cutting down scores of olive trees in the Al-Minya village, in the Jabal Al-Qarn area, belonging to the heirs of Abdul Hadi Moh’d Al-Mutwar. Noting that on July 13, settlers established a settlement outpost in the Jabal Al-Qarn area, using it as a launching pad for escalating their attacks against citizens in the village of Al-Minya.
Ramallah:

- Expanding a recent outpost they had established in the Atara town, northwest of Ramallah, in the Jabal al-Khirba area at the town s entrance. They erected a ninth tent there and installed new water tanks and an electrical transformer to power the outpost, with the aim of seizing it for settlement expansion. A settler and his sheep also raided a vineyard after breaking its lock and gate.
Nablus:

- Demolishing a barracks and an agricultural room in the Burqa town, uprooting several trees belonging to Hussam Saif.
- Storming one of the Al-Izzab area’shouse in a provocative move against the area s residents in the Khirbet al-Tawil area, located in Aqraba, notified the demolition of more than 20 agricultural rooms in the town of Beit Furik, west of Khirbet Tana.
- Storming the Shakara community east of Duma, targeting residents and their property. On the road between the villages of Asira al-Qibliya and Urif, settlers grazed their sheep on citizens land and deliberately encroached on the wooded areas, destroying large areas of crops and harming farmers livelihoods.
- Storming a house under construction on the outskirts of the Burin village before residents confronted them.
Qalqilia:

- Issuing 2 military orders to seize land in the Jinsafut village, serving settlement expansion, about 16 dunams of land were seized to pave new settlement road sections. The first is to connect the Yakir settlement to the Karnei Shomron settlement, and the second is to connect the Immanuel settlement to the Karnei Shomron settlement. These settlements are located on the lands of the villages of Jinsafut, Amatin, Kafr Laqif, Far ata, and Deirestiya, strengthening the network of bypass roads designated for serving the settlements in the area. These decisions will deprive about 150 farmers from accessing their agricultural lands, even if they obtain permits from the occupation authorities, under the pretext that the lands are adjacent to settlement roads that not allowed to be approached by Palestinians.
Jordan Valley:

- Attacking residents of the Al-Auja community, north of Jericho, provocatively roaming among residents homes and chanting hostile slogans, in an attempt to incite fear and tension within the community.
- Organizing provocative motorcycle tours between residents homes and lands, sparking a state of fear and panic in the Al-Auja Shalal community.
- Storming the tent of Raed Subaih in Al-Farisiya more than 5 times, sparking fear among children and women in the northern Jordan Valley,others continued to extend water lines in the northern Jordan Valley, from the settlement outpost near the citizens tents in Al-Hamma, towards the grazing lands that they closed off to citizens to the west. The occupation forces also demolished a tent belonging to Qadri Daraghmeh, noting that this tent was a replacement for his tents that were demolished a few days ago.
- Stealing a tent belonging to Moh’d Daraghmeh in Al-Farisiya, as part of a plan to continuously pressure citizens to leave their homes and move away.

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