Israeli settlers reportedly storm, vandalize Palestinian villages across West Bank

Israeli soldiers fire tear gas at Palestinians during a protest against a new Israeli settlement in the West Bank village of Deir Abu Mishal, near Ramallah, June 2026

Matan Golan reports in Haaretz on 28 June 2026:

In a series of attacks across the West Bank over the weekend, dozens of Israeli settlers set Palestinian land on fire, threw stones at residents and wounded at least one person, according to eyewitnesses.

On Saturday, settlers were reported to have set an olive grove on fire on the outskirts of the village of Burqa, near Ramallah. Footage from the scene showed smoke rising from an agricultural plot close to residential homes, after which young Palestinians were seen throwing stones at settlers in the area.

Israeli soldiers later raided the village and, according to reports, arrested ten Palestinians. Arson attacks were also reported on Saturday in the central West Bank villages of Jalud, Kafr Malik and Turmus Ayya.

Earlier on Saturday, residents of the village of Sinjil reported that settlers vandalized a home on the village outskirts, marking what they said was the fourth such attack on the same property.

Overnight into Saturday, settlers were recorded entering Khallet al-Hummus in the southern Hebron Hills, where they reportedly cut a power cable. The settlers, however, have claimed that some of the arson attacks were carried out by Palestinians.

Also on Saturday, settlers were recorded grazing sheep on privately owned Palestinian land. In the village of Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah, they were seen grazing livestock in residential courtyards, and a human rights activist was struck in the face by a masked settler.

Settlers were also reported to be grazing sheep in the village of Ein ad-Duyuk, located in Area A under Palestinian Authority control. According to a local report, they withdrew from the isolated village after security forces arrived at the scene.

On Friday, dozens of masked settlers threw stones at houses in the Palestinian village of Surif, north of Hebron. The IDF said a Palestinian woman was wounded, and that troops who arrived at the scene extinguished fires that broke out in the area.

Also on Friday, residents of the central West Bank village of Qusra reported that more than ten homes were left without water after settlers cut water pipes.

Throughout the weekend, settlers were recorded moving through Palestinian villages, at times under the protection of Israeli troops. The practice has become increasingly common, with local residents often remaining inside their homes out of fear.

On Saturday afternoon, settlers were seen walking through the village of Burin. They also entered the village of Qabalan, in Area B near Nablus, where they reportedly took over a private home. Later in the day, settlers were documented in the Hama area of the northern Jordan Valley while entering a residential compound in a Palestinian community.

According to testimonies from residents of Khirbat al-Tannur, near Nablus, the local water supply line was vandalized a few days ago by the owner of a nearby settler outpost, whose teenage residents reportedly enter the community daily and harass residents.

Human rights activists attempted to repair the pipe on Saturday, but were prevented from doing so by Israeli soldiers at the scene. The activists said the soldiers told them they were acting under orders and, after presenting a closed military zone order, instructed them to leave the area.

The closure order expired at 5:00 P.M., after which the activists returned to repair the water pipe, but settlers then intervened and disrupted the work.

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