Wadi Ejheish, South Hebron Hills: Israeli settlers sprayed pepper spray into a Palestinian family’s home and killed sheep. A six-month-old baby was hospitalized after inhaling the spray

On Monday evening, 22 December 2025, a group of about seven settlers came to the Daghamin family residence in Wadi Ejheish.

The settlers tried to break the door and force their way into the family home, and when they failed, they smashed a hole in the door with an axe and sprayed pepper spray inside.

The settlers then broke into the family’s sheep pen, hit and stabbed the sheep, killing three and injuring more. The settlers also vandalized the family’s car, which was parked outside the house.

hey left a few minutes later, and the family members, who were hurt by inhaling the pepper spray, were taken by their neighbors to the government hospital in the nearby city of Yatta. Five of them were discharged that evening, but six-month-old ‘Oamri was kept in the hospital.

The Israel Police went to the home, questioned the father, Mahmoud Daghamin, about the incident and confiscated the DVR device.

The Daghamin family had suffered the same attack in the past, and the police reportedly opened an investigation (Hebrew). However, this did not deter the settlers from repeating their actions less than two months later.

Mahmoud Daghamin, 27, a father of four, spoke about what happened in a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Nasser Nawaj’ah the next day:

I’m a farmer and keep a flock of 15 sheep, which is my only source of livelihood.

On Monday night, 22 December 2025, I was at home with my wife, Wafaa, and our four children. The eldest, Muhammad, is six years old, and the youngest, ‘Oamri, is six months old. The children and I were asleep, and my wife was breastfeeding ‘Oamri. Suddenly, the dogs barked, and my wife woke me up just as the settlers reached the house. They started breaking the front door, smashed a hole in it and sprayed pepper spray inside. The children, who were asleep, inhaled the spray and immediately started coughing.

 

One of the settlers tried to reach his hand through the hole to open the door from the inside, and at that moment, I saw the settlers on the security camera monitors inside the house. There were more than seven of them, all masked and wearing gloves. I saw them attacking my flock of sheep, and on the ground, I saw three sheep that had been slaughtered and another sheep that was bleeding.

 

One of the settlers tried to reach his hand through the hole to open the door from the inside, and at that moment, I saw the settlers on the security camera monitors inside the house. There were more than seven of them, all masked and wearing gloves. I saw them attacking my flock of sheep, and on the ground, I saw three sheep that had been slaughtered and another sheep that was bleeding.