On Saturday, 19 October 2024, a group of five settlers, some armed, arrived with three dogs at the community of Jurat al-Kheil. The hamlet, which lies northwest of Hebron and has 20 structures, is home to 10 families, numbering 40 people in total, including 16 minors. One of the settlers pointed his gun at a community resident’s head and threatened to shoot him and others if they did not leave permanently. A dog the settlers set on the residents bit another man, who was taken for treatment in the city of Halhul.
The next day, Sunday, 20 October 2024, around 7:00 A.M., about 20 settlers arrived at the community on foot, with more arriving in two cars. Fearing for their lives, the entire community fled towards the village of Sa’ir. One member watched the community from a nearby hill and saw the settlers going around the houses and smashing their windows. He tried to call the police several times, but no officers arrived. The settlers left around noon, at which point some residents returned to the community and saw the windows had, in fact, been smashed and that the settlers had also stolen some iron sheeting installed to protect the windows and farming equipment. After the returning residents arrived at the community, the settlers came back in a car, forcing the residents to flee once more and watch from afar as the settlers walked around the houses, destroying property. The settlers stayed in the area all night.
On Tuesday, 22 October 2024, some residents returned to the community and discovered that the settlers had destroyed three of the residential buildings, damaged the roofs of all remaining 17 structures, and cut down and uprooted dozens of olive trees and grapevines. Shortly after their arrival, settlers returned in two cars, one belonging to the settlement security guard, and with dogs. They swore at the residents and told them to leave. The residents obeyed out of fear, and then the settlers stole five water tanks and towed them towards the settlement of Metzad, while other settlers drove up to the community in several cars and stole items from residents’ homes. The residents filed a complaint about the settlers’ actions at the Etzion police station that same day. The next day, 24 October 2024, community residents returned once more, and within an hour, the settlement guard arrived with three female soldiers, who told the residents to leave and pushed them to the main road leading to Sa’ir. As of 30 October 2024, community residents have not returned home.