Khallet al-Louza, Bethlehem: Israeli settlers repeatedly attacked a Palestinian house and damaged property. Soldiers shot and wounded a community resident

In September, settlers set up an outpost on lands belonging to the village of Khallet al-Louza (also known as Khalayel al-Louza), Bethlehem District, about 100 meters away from the home of the Abu Kamel family. Fearing attacks, the family went to stay with a relative. On Monday, 23 September 2024, at around 5:00 A.M., security cameras on the property caught four masked settlers arriving at the vacant home. They cut the wires and stole the cameras.

The homeowner, Bilal Abu Kamel (45), went to the house the next morning and discovered the settlers had also vandalized the gate and barbed wire fence and stolen light fixtures. Abu Kamel bought new lights, installed them, and left. He returned later that afternoon and discovered that the settlers had returned, broken into the house, ransacked it and smashed windows. Abu Kamel repaired the damage and left.

When he returned the next day, Tuesday, 8 October 2024, he discovered settlers had stolen the gate, some tables and chairs, a television set and a propane tank. He went to the police station in Beitar Illit the next day, where he was forced to wait about four hours before the police let him file a complaint.

He returned to his house at around 4:30 P.M. that day with five relatives and a repairman he had hired to fix the gate. Within minutes, six settlers turned up, several of them masked.

In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Basel al-Adrah, Bilal Abu Kamel recounted what happened then:

A few minutes after we arrived, six settlers came over from the direction of the outpost, four of them masked and all of them armed with sticks and guns. The settlers started attacking us with stones. We called for help, and some guys who were in the area came and helped us fend them off with stones. One of the stones thrown by the settlers hit a relative of mine in the neck. The settlers fired live rounds in the air, and we fled into the house. After about ten minutes, four soldiers arrived in a military jeep and immediately started shooting live fire. The soldiers ordered the guys to leave, while the settlers continued to attack them with stones.

After the incident ended, we evacuated my relative who was hit by a stone to a hospital in Hebron.

‘Alaa ‘Abayat, 26, who was working in his family’s greenhouse in the area at the time, was attacked and shot in the arm by soldiers when he tried to leave. In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Basel al-Adrah on 10 October 2024, he said:

Image

At 4:30 P.M., my brothers and I went to work in our greenhouse in the Khallet al-Louza area, planting vegetables. There’s an outpost about a kilometer away that was built at the top of the mountain. 

While we were working, I heard gunshots on the mountain. I went outside to see what was happening. I advanced about 500 meters and then saw guys running from the mountain towards the town and several soldiers and settlers shooting in the air. The soldiers began climbing down the mountain towards the town. Idris ‘Abayat, 30, a relative of mine, was near me in his car. I got into the back seat and he sped away. There was another vehicle behind us, and then suddenly, we saw a military jeep crashing into it, and it crashed into us. The soldiers repeated this five times.

The vehicle behind us overtook us and fled, and then the soldiers overtook us and blocked our way. We were going to turn around and escape, but the soldier in the passenger seat got out of the vehicle and fired straight at us. A bullet hit my arm. Idris completed the turn, and we escaped. I heard another shot, but I don’t know what it hit.

My arm was bleeding heavily. Idris kept driving for about 200 meters, and then I was taken to another car that took me to the hospital near Wadi Rahhal, and from there, I was transferred to al-Hussein Hospital in Bethlehem. I had surgery, and I need to have another one this Sunday, 13 October 2024.