Palestinian official calls for international intervention as settler violence escalates in West Bank
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and Israeli human rights activists across several areas of the occupied West Bank over the weekend, leaving more than 20 people wounded, according to Palestinian and Israeli media reports.
Incidents included stone-throwing, pepper spray attacks and assaults near Abu Falah, Baytillu and Salfit.
Palestinian news agency WAFA said that presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh on Saturday called for urgent international intervention and protection for Palestinians, warning the situation risked spiralling further.
Home seized in Jenin village
Israeli forces seized a two-storey Palestinian home in the village of Zububa, west of Jenin, ordering a family of 11, including children, to leave before converting the building into a military post, WAFA reported.
Troops also raided other homes, briefly detained several residents and assaulted some villagers, according to local officials.
Settlers attack shepherds
Israeli settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, attacked Palestinian shepherds near the entrance to the village of al-Rashaida, east of Bethlehem, on Saturday evening, WAFA reported, citing local officials.
Bakr Rashaida, head of the al-Rashaida Village Council, told WAFA that the settlers opened fire at the shepherds. No injuries were reported.
He said the colonists also attempted to steal several sheep, but local residents confronted them and prevented the theft.
Settler raid hits al-Mughayyir
Israeli settlers attacked the western outskirts of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, while Israeli forces simultaneously entered the village, Haaretz reported, citing Palestinian sources.
Troops searched a home, detained two young Palestinians before later releasing them, as residents accused soldiers of protecting the settlers during the assault.
Fires, olive groves targeted
Settlers were also reported to have set fire to agricultural land north of Turmus Ayya and uprooted around 500 olive trees in Qusra.
Other attacks targeted Palestinian property in Jalud and Idna, while residents accused Israeli security forces of standing by without intervening during several incidents, according to Haaretz.
Red Crescent treats injuries
The Palestinian Red Crescent said it treated casualties after a settler raid on Khirbet Yarza in the Jordan Valley, where Palestinian reports said seven people were injured.
Near Khan al-Ahmar, settlers reportedly drove sheep into a Bedouin community, used pepper spray and an ATV was filmed driving towards residents before police arrested three Palestinians.
South Hebron tensions
Further violence was reported in Umm al-Kheir, Khallet al-Hummus and Khallet al-Louza in the South Hebron Hills, where settlers assaulted residents with beatings and pepper spray.
In Umm al-Kheir, Israeli authorities later declared parts of the community a closed military zone, preventing some residents from accessing their livestock.
Arson and clashes in Umm Safa
On Friday night, settlers allegedly torched a residential building on the outskirts of the Christian village of Taybeh, east of Ramallah, causing damage but no reported injuries.
On Saturday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said it treated three Palestinians injured in Umm Safa during clashes after settlers reportedly attempted to seize a flock of sheep. The Israeli military said it intervened after receiving reports that settlers' livestock had entered the village.
Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Umm Safa, northwest of Ramallah, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. pic.twitter.com/WXf9fVczVO
— Government Communication Center (@pal_gcc_en) July 4, 2026