On Sunday evening, 19 January 2025, after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, settlers gathered near the entrances to various villages, in intersections, and alongside roads in the West Bank and began attacking passing Palestinian vehicles.
Around 7:00 P.M., Mamduh Srur (26) and his cousin ‘Abdallah Srur (25) were traveling by car from their village, Ni’lin, towards the town of Bitunya. When the two got close to the ‘Ein Ayub traffic circle, they noticed many settlers blocking the road and attacking passing Palestinian cars, while Israeli soldiers and police officers were working to push the settlers back. Police officers present at the scene signaled for the car to stop, and the two cousins waited there for the police to remove the settlers from the road.
When the road reopened, the cousins continued on their way, but after driving for about 100 meters, settlers in ambush on the side of the road attacked them. A large rock they threw at the car shattered the windshield and hit Mamduh Srur, who was driving, in the head.
He stopped the car and immediately passed out. The settlers went up to the car, pepper sprayed Mamduh and ‘Abdallah through one of the windows, and smashed the rear window. Meanwhile, more settlers began advancing towards the car from the direction of the ‘Ein Ayub traffic circle. ‘Abdallah managed to move the unconscious Mamduh to the back seat, get behind the wheel and speed to a clinic in Kafr Ni’ma. From there, Mamduh was taken by ambulance, still unconscious, to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull and other injuries. He was kept in the hospital.
B’Tselem field researcher Mohammad Romaneh collected the testimonies of ‘Abdallah and Mamduh Srur:
Mamduh Srur said on 29 January 2025:
The road was almost empty until we got to the ‘Ein Ayub traffic circle. That’s where we came upon a huge number of settlers who were blocking the traffic circle area. I estimate there were hundreds there.
‘Abdallah and I stayed in the car and watched them protesting until soldiers and police officers managed to push them back. We left the area of the traffic circle and drove on the road that leads to Bitunya through Kafr Ni’ma and several other villages.
We drove about 100 meters down the road, and after passing a house, I suddenly saw settlers emerging from behind trees and bushes on the right side of the road. They threw a huge rock at the car, and it shattered the windshield and hit my head. The settler who threw the stone had blond hair, fair skin, a beard and sideburns, and he was wearing civilian clothes. He looked about 30 to me. I’ll never forget the sight of him coming out from behind the tree and throwing the rock at my car. I’d be able to recognize him even if he stood among dozens of other settlers.
As soon as I was hit, I felt pain, got dizzy and passed out. I didn’t come to for several days, until Wednesday night, 22 January 2025, when I found myself in the ICU at the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.
‘Abdallah Srur said on 30 January 2025:
After waiting about three minutes, we saw that the road had been cleared and we could get around the settlers.
Mamduh started driving very fast. After about 100 meters, I saw four settlers emerge from the trees on the right side of the road. One of them threw a large rock at the car. It hit the windshield and shattered it.
At the time, I didn’t notice that the rock also hit Mamduh. He stopped in the middle of the road, and the car blocked both lanes of traffic. I asked him, “Why did you stop?” and when I looked at him, I saw that his face was covered in blood. I started crying because I thought Mamduh was dead.
As I was talking to him, trying to wake him up, the four settlers came up to the car from behind. The windows were open, and one of them grabbed my head from above and sprayed a lot of pepper spray in my face. Another settler went to Mamduh’s side and pepper-sprayed him too. I couldn’t breathe or open my eyes, and I felt like I was suffocating.
The settlers went behind the car, smashed the rear window, and remained standing there. I got out of the car right away, even though I couldn’t breathe and could barely see.
When I saw that the settlers at the ‘Ein Ayub traffic circle were also running towards our car, I quickly got Mamduh out of the driver’s seat. I put him in the back seat. I still don’t really understand how I did it, how I managed to lift him in the miserable condition I was in.
Then I got in Mamduh’s seat and drove fast, crying. I drove through al-Burj road, that is, through Kafr Ni’ma–Ras Karkar. When I got to Kafr Ni’ma, I asked a passerby to tell me how to get to the clinic. Luckily I was close, just a few meters away.
I reached the clinic and got out of the car, but I was in a bad state and couldn’t walk. I shouted, “My cousin! My cousin!” Then a doctor came out and asked, “What happened?” I told him: “Go to my cousin and check him.” They took him out of the car, bandaged his head, and three minutes later, an ambulance arrived and took Mamduh to the hospital in Ramallah.
I called my father and told him we’d been attacked by settlers and Mamduh had been taken to the hospital. Then, I went back to Ni’lin.