On Tuesday, 22 October 2024, at around 8:00 A.M., while Hamzah Jundeyeh (26) was grazing the family’s sheep about 15 meters from his home in the community of Khirbet a-Tuba, a settler approached from the direction of an outpost established about two kilometers from the community. He tried to drive Hamzah away and attacked him and the sheep. The settler, who, it was later claimed was a minor, punched Jundeyeh in the face, causing his mouth to bleed. Hamzah’s brother, Salah Jundeyeh, called the police and went to the scene of the attack, along with several other residents of the community.
The settler let go of Hamzah but remained in place, and soldiers who arrived in two military jeeps searched the brothers and the other residents. They then attacked the brothers and handcuffed them. About 30 minutes later, the soldiers took the brothers and five other residents to the police station in Kiryat Arba, where they were all interrogated as suspects in an attack on the settler, who they claimed was a minor. The seven men were then released after signing a personal bond of 1,500 NIS (~ USD 420) and a guarantee to keep away from the settler for 15 days.
Salah Jundeyeh, 26, said in a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Nasser Nawaj’ah:
Around 8:00 A.M., my brother Hamzah was grazing the sheep not far from our houses, a distance of 10-15 meters. After about 10 minutes, a settler we know arrived at the scene from the direction of the Issachar Man farm, located two kilometers from our community, and immediately began attacking Hamzah and the sheep. I called the police as the settler continued attacking Hamzah, who was now bleeding from the mouth.
Meanwhile, about 10 residents from the community gathered, and after about half an hour, soldiers arrived in two military jeeps. Even though I was the one who called them, the soldiers detained Hamzah and seven other guys from the community. Then they took my camera and had me stand aside. The soldiers searched the guys and beat Hamzah. One of them slapped him in the face, and another kicked him in the side of the body. The soldiers attacked me too, twisted my arm and hit me in the abdomen. They knocked me down, handcuffed me, and then I saw Hamzah lying on the ground too, as they were handcuffing him.
I heard the settler claim that we attacked him. The soldiers put us in the jeeps and drove us to the police station in Kiryat Arba, where they detained us for about four hours. After that we were interrogated on suspicion of attacking a minor settler, even though he was not a minor. I told the interrogator it was our land, that we had the papers, and that it was the settler who attacked my brother. The interrogator took my fingerprints, made me sign a 1,500 NIS bond, and then told me that I wasn’t allowed near the settler for 15 days.