On Saturday, 23 April 2022, at around 3:30 P.M., A. Ghaneimat (36) went with his two children (3 and 5) to his family’s land northwest of the village of Surif. He found about 10 settlers between the ages of 16 and 20 placing rocks on the agricultural path leading to the land, in order to block it. Ghaneimat called his father, who arrived with about 30 family members and villagers to remove the rocks.
While the residents were removing the rocks, about 30 more settlers arrived, some of them armed with M-16 rifles and pistols. They went over to the residents and attacked them with stones. About 10 other settlers and six soldiers were standing by an outpost consisting of tents that was erected by settlers higher up, about 400 meters from the blocked path. When Ghaneimat tried to drive away with his children, a shot was fired at the car from the direction of the outpost. The bullet penetrated the right back door and lodged in the dashboard. No one was hurt.
The residents attempted to fend off the settlers, some of whom were armed with M-16 rifles and pistols, by throwing stones, but the settlers continued to draw near, escorted by three soldiers who did nothing to intervene. At that point, someone in the outpost opened automatic gunfire at the residents. The volley, which lasted for several minutes, injured three members of the Ghaneimat family, one of them severely.
On 3 August 2022, the Israel Police informed Local Call that the investigation of the incident had been closed on grounds of “perpetrator unknown.”
B’Tselem field researcher Manal al-Ja’bari collected testimonies from two members of the Ghaneimat family:
In his testimony, A’s father, Jamal Ghaneimat (60), a father of 10 who was injured by a bullets in his arm and a bullet in his leg, recounted:
While we were clearing the rocks, I saw six soldiers come from the wooded area and join the settlers in the tent encampment. The settlers started throwing stones at us from there, and then about 40 to 50 settlers approached us and I saw that some of them were holding M-16 rifles and pistols.
My son started driving away with the kids when suddenly, I heard a shot. I was sure it had been fired in his direction. We shouted “Allahu Akbar” and started throwing stones at the settlers to keep them away and defend ourselves.
Suddenly, a volley of shots started. It was being fired at us from the direction of the settlers’ encampment. I’m not sure who was firing, the settlers or the soldiers. One bullet hit me in the left arm and another in the right leg. Even though I was wounded, I managed to move about 50 meters away. My brother Jamil (57), who was wounded in the right leg, also managed to move about 30 meters away. He was with our nephew Muhammad (17), who was also injured by the shooting.
In his testimony, Jamal’s brother Jamil Ghaneimat (53), who was shot in the leg, recalled:
We threw stones at them to defend ourselves, and then a volley of shots started from the direction of the settlers’ tent. The shooting lasted about 20 minutes straight, and injured my brother Jamal in the arm and leg. I tried to help him and in the process, I felt a bullet hit my right leg. It went in and out. We tried to run away, but after we were 30 meters away, I saw that my nephew Muhammad (17) had also been shot and injured.
My brother Badawi drove me in his car. As we tried to drive away, several bullets hit the back of the car. The shooting at us continued the whole time, on and off. I don’t know who was firing. Maybe it was the settlers, because I saw them shooting in the air before the shots were fired at us.
When we got to the clinic in Surif, I blacked out for a few minutes. Then my nephew Muhammad, who was severely wounded, and I were transferred to al-Ahli Hospital, each of us in a different ambulance. Muhammad was taken to the ICU.
