In recent years — and especially since 7 October 2023 — there has been a sharp increase in both the number and severity of settler attacks against Palestinians. The incidents reported on this blog do not reflect all incidents of settler violence in the West Bank, but only those that B’Tselem was able to document and investigate.
Displaying 21-23 of 23 updates. An update can cover more than one incident.Nothing matches these filters.
Settler Violence = State Violence
17 August 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
11 June 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
18 May 2026
East Jerusalem
5 May 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
1 April 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
25 January 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
6 January 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
9 November 2025
11 August 2020
On Tuesday morning, 11 August 2020, at around 9:00 A.M., two Palestinian engineers from the al-‘Amru Engineering Consulting company measured land in the western part of Huwarah as part of a survey of the village’s registered land. The two, Mustafa Masri (30) and Hassan Qadus (32), live in the nearby village of Burin. They then moved on to a nearby plot, which lies about 50 meters from the security road leading to the settlement of Yitzhar. The settlement was established in 1983 on land belonging to Huwarah and neighboring villages.
At around midday, the two surveyors noticed a white jeep speeding towards them from the direction of Yitzhar. The jeep stopped on the road about 100 meters away from them and four settlers got out. One was carrying an M-16 rifle. Fearing an attack, the two started running towards Huwarah. The settlers gave chase, firing in the air, throwing stones at them, swearing at them and calling them to stop. Several stones hit Masri and he fell over, but the two managed to escape.
When they reached a swimming pool on the outskirts of Huwarah, the pool staff called an ambulance for Masri, who was suffering severe pain in his leg and could barely stand. He was taken to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where he was treated and discharged.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Salma a-Deb’i, Mustafa Masri described the settlers’ attack:
Around midday, Hassan Qadus and I were measuring a plot when a white jeep suddenly drove up from the direction of the security road that leads to Yitzhar. I was standing by the road, about 50 meters from a military watchtower and about 100 meters from a group of soldiers.
The jeep stopped on the road and four settlers jumped out and started shouting. I feared for our measuring equipment, because settlers have attacked surveyors before and the device we use costs about 85,000 shekels (~25,000 USD). When I saw them running and yelling, I told Hassan, “Take the device and try to get away. Run and don’t look back.”
The settlers started chasing me and then I heard two shots. I heard the bullets hitting stones and the stones exploding. I can still hear the sound ringing in my ears as if it’s happening right now. I dropped to the ground and lay flat so I wouldn’t get hit. Hassan heard the shots, and he stopped and turned around because he was afraid I’d been hurt. I told him, “Run, I’m right behind you, hurry.”
I took a different route to draw the settlers away from Hassan and the equipment. I ran along a rocky path between hills and boulders, but they kept throwing stones at me. Some of the stones hit me in the left arm and leg. I had to keep going. I knew that if the settlers caught me, they might kill me. They were very agitated.
When I got to a stretch of uneven land, I stumbled and fell over. The settlers threw stones at me again, but I managed to get up and run away. I ran until I reached a swimming pool in Huwarah. I could hardly breathe, I was so terrified and exhausted. The pool staff helped me, and only then I noticed that my knees were bleeding. I was in shock. I wanted to call Hassan but couldn’t find my phone. I must have dropped it while I was running. After that, Hassan came to the pool, too, and reassured me, “Don’t worry, I made it safely with the equipment.”
I couldn’t stand up. I had terrible pain in my legs, arm and lower back. The staff called an ambulance that took me to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus.
