Bani Na’im, Hebron District: Israeli settlers escorted by a soldier attacked Palestinian farmers returning from their land. Israel Police officers who arrived at the scene arrested the farmers and denied them medical care

On Friday, 3 January 2025, farmers from the town of Yatta arrived for a meeting with their lawyer in the Za’atout area near the town of Bani Na’im regarding a new outpost that had been established east of the area and was taking over their land. Among the landowners were Muhammad al-Jundi, 28, Mahmoud al-Jundi, 51, Ayman al-Yatim, 33, and Tareq Abu Turki, 53.

At the end of the meeting, at around 4:30 P.M., the farmers left the area in their cars. After a few minutes of driving, a vehicle carrying five settlers blocked their way. The settlers, armed with clubs, got out and demanded the car keys from Abu Turki, who was driving the first car. When he refused, the settlers placed stones in front of and behind his wheels to prevent him from driving. Abu Turki and the other farmers got out of their cars and reported the incident to the police. Abu Turki then cleared the stones, but as he returned to his car, the settlers attacked him through the windows, smashing the car’s multimedia screen and one of its mirrors.

Meanwhile, another vehicle arrived carrying four settlers and a soldier. The settlers began attacking the farmers with stones and clubs, while the soldier fired several shots into the air. Following the gunfire, some of the farmers fled the scene, while the settlers continued assaulting those who remained.

Several settlers beat Ayman al-Yatim, striking his face and left eye. He was evacuated in a car, but the soldier tried to prevent the evacuation and threatened the passengers. They nevertheless managed to escape and reached the medical center in the village of al-Karmel.

About half an hour later, a police car and a military vehicle arrived at the scene. Shortly afterward, two Palestinian ambulances called by the landowners also arrived, but another military vehicle blocked their way and prevented them from evacuating the wounded.

At that point, some of the settlers gathered up the clubs, put them in one of the cars and drove away, leaving behind four settlers and the soldier. The settlers told the police officer the farmers had attacked them, and the officer decided to arrest several of the farmers, including some who had been injured by the settlers.

Later, more police and military vehicles arrived and took the detainees to the police station in Kiryat Arba, where they were questioned on suspicion of assaulting the settlers and held until 3:00 A.M. without receiving medical treatment. After their release, family members took them to the government hospital in Hebron for care.

The settlers injured four of the farmers: Tareq Abu Turki, who sustained a head injury; Mahmoud al-Jundi, who sustained a head injury and a fracture to the right leg; Ayman al-Yatim, who was injured in his left eye and beaten all over his body; and Muhammad al-Jundi, who was beaten all over his body.

B’Tselem field researcher Basel al-‘Adra collected testimonies from several of the farmers. Two of them follow:

Testimony of Tareq Abu Turki, 53:

On Friday, 3 January 2025, I met with a lawyer who represents me and other landowners in a case against the outpost. Other landowners who also suffer from settler attacks on their land attended. After the meeting, at around 4:30 P.M., we started making our way out of the meeting site. There were about ten cars there, including my own red Skoda.

While we were driving away, a settler car stopped in front of mine and blocked my way. Five settlers got out of the car and stood in front of me. Some of them came up to me, and one said: “Give me the papers. Give me the key. This car is mashtubah [illegal].” I told him: “Your brain is mashtub! You’re not police or military. Get out of here.” I refused and didn’t give him anything. In response, the settlers placed stones in front of and behind my wheels so I couldn’t move. I got out of the car with the key in my hand.

One of the men, whose name is Muhammad al-Jundi, called the Israeli police. Many people were standing around my car. I cleared the stones, got back into my car, and started it. Suddenly, the settlers attacked me through the windows. They smashed the mirror and the multimedia screen in the car and tried to grab the key. I got out of the car again.

Another settler car arrived, with a soldier in it, and blocked the way of a Palestinian jeep that was next to my car. Some of the settlers began attacking the young men. They beat Mahmoud al-Jundi, and as we tried to protect him, one of the settlers struck me on the back of the head with something; I don’t know if it was a stone or a stick. It knocked me down, and I was bleeding slightly. The soldier fired several shots into the air. 

One of the men helped me and moved me about 200 meters away. I sat on the ground and waited for the police and an ambulance. A police car and a military jeep drove up, followed by two ambulances, but then another military jeep arrived and blocked the ambulances’ way about 150 meters away from us.

I told the police officer that I was injured and that my car was still on the road. He told me: “Come with me to get your car.” When I got there, the settlers claimed that I had attacked them, and based on that, the officer immediately arrested me, even though I told him they were the ones who attacked me and showed him the wound on my head.

They kept us there for a few hours and then put us in military jeeps and took us to the police station in the settlement of Kiryat Arba. The soldiers tied my hands behind my back and made me sit on the floor of the jeep. They also made Mahmoud, who had severe pain in his leg, sit on the floor of the jeep. Two soldiers simply lifted him up and threw him onto the floor without offering any medical treatment to either of us.

When we arrived at the police station in Kiryat Arba, they questioned us one by one, under suspicion of assaulting the settlers. I told the interrogator that it was the settlers who blocked our way and beaten me and many others. He took a photo of the injury.

We were held at the station until about 3:00 A.M. We weren’t offered any medical treatment the entire time, not even Mahmoud al-Jundi, who was the most seriously injured and writhed in pain until the moment we were released.

After they released us, I called my sons. They came and took us to the ‘Alia Government Hospital in Hebron.

Testimony of Mahmoud al-Jundi, 51:

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I live in the city of Yatta with my family of seven. Until the war, I worked in construction in Israel, but since then I’ve been unemployed.

I own a plot of land in the Za’atout area, in Baryat Bani Na’im. This past September, settlers established a new outpost in the area and began a wave of attacks against Palestinians’ land there.

On Friday, 3 January 2025, I went with my son Muhammad and a group of other landowners to meet the lawyer we hired to defend our land from the settlers in the outpost.

After the meeting with the lawyer ended, at around 4:30 P.M., we got into our cars to go home. As we drove, we saw settlers blocking the road and attacking Tareq Abu Turki’s car, which was at the front of the line.

We got out of our cars and stood near Abu Turki’s car. We heard the settlers demanding to check if the car was licensed, ordering Tareq to hand over the car papers, and claiming the car was “mashtubah” or stolen. The settlers were confrontational, and it was clear they wanted to start a fight.

At first, there were five settlers, who had stopped their car in the middle of the road. Some of them were holding clubs. I asked my son Muhammad to call the Israeli police, and he did, explaining what was happening and where we were.

At that point, the settlers placed stones in front of and behind Abu Turki’s wheels to keep him from moving. While a heated argument broke out between the Palestinians and the settlers, Abu Turki took advantage of the distraction to clear the stones, got back in his car, and started it.

Suddenly, the settlers attacked him through the windows, trying to grab his car key to stop him from driving. They also smashed the car mirror and the multimedia screen. The guys tried to push the settlers back. Meanwhile, another car arrived carrying several settlers and a soldier.

The soldier got out and blocked the jeep of one of the Palestinians. I was close by. Three settlers attacked me with clubs. One knocked me to the ground, another struck me in the right leg with a club, and I immediately fell. I couldn’t move my leg. Another settler hit me in the head with a stone and injured me. I started bleeding.

While the settlers were attacking me and the other Palestinians, the soldier fired several shots into the air, and many of the Palestinians fled. I remained lying on the ground.

My son Muhammad came closer and tried to protect me and push the settlers away from me. Then they attacked him too, hitting him with clubs in the stomach and back, kicking him several times, pulling off his glasses, and one settler broke them. All this happened while I was lying on the ground, unable to help him, just as he couldn’t help me. The injury to my leg was very painful.

A young man named Ayman al-Yatim tried to come over to us to help, but the soldier and several settlers wouldn’t let anyone approach. When Ayman got closer, the settlers all pounced on him, beating him with clubs, hitting him, and kicking him. Some grabbed his arms while others beat him. I was still lying on the ground, unable to move my leg or get up from the pain. Afterward, some of the guys managed to pull Ayman away from the settlers. They put him in one of the cars and drove him to the hospital.

Half an hour after I was injured, the first police vehicle and a military jeep arrived, but they stopped several hundred meters away from us. Some Palestinians were there. Some had fled earlier, and some arrived later. The police officers and soldiers ordered them to leave.

Some of the settlers put the clubs into one of their cars, while others turned to the police and claimed that we had attacked them. When the police officer reached the spot where my son and I were, we told him that they were the ones who had attacked and beaten us, and I told him I was injured in my leg and head.

Two ambulances came to evacuate me for treatment, but the soldiers blocked their way and prevented them from advancing. Then two more police cars arrived, along with several more military jeeps.

The police officer told us we were under arrest on suspicion of assaulting the settlers. After holding us there for an hour, the police decided to arrest me, my son, Tareq Abu Turki, and two members of the al-Yatim family. During that hour, the soldiers detained more Palestinians and checked their ID cards; the police talked with the settlers, and the settlers sang, danced, and taunted us.

Two soldiers lifted me, put me in a military jeep, and laid me on the floor. Tareq Abu Turki was next to me on the floor. The soldiers sat on the seats while I sat on the metal floor. Part of the road was rough; the jeep jolted a lot, and that made the pain in my leg worse. Later, it turned out my leg was broken.

We arrived at the police station in the settlement of Kiryat Arba, and more than an hour later, I was the first one to be taken into the interrogation room. The interrogator told me we had attacked the settlers. I showed him my injuries, and he took photos of my leg and head, but I wasn’t given any first aid. Two people in paramedic uniforms came, but the interrogator said, “Not here. They’ll leave and go get treatment on their own.”

I stayed and waited until all the detainees were questioned, at 2:40 A.M. As soon as we were released, Tareq Abu Turki called his sons. They came and took us to the government hospital in Hebron. There, my right leg was put in a cast, and I was referred to the government hospital in Yatta for surgery to implant a metal plate. My head wound was stitched.