Escalating Attacks: Palestinians Face Rising Settler Violence in the West Bank

Wed Mar 25 2026 20:50:45 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

In the occupied West Bank, residents of Deir al-Hatab report increasing violence from Israeli settlers, raising concerns for their safety as tensions intensify amid ongoing conflicts.

Recent violent incidents in the West Bank have left Palestinian communities in fear as settler violence escalates. Barhan Omar, a resident, describes an attack on his home while broader trends indicate a worrying rise in assaults against Palestinians since the start of the ongoing conflict. The situation, characterized by organized attacks and official indifference, fuels apprehensions of future unrest among the local population.

This assault wasn't just meant to burn the houses but also to kill - to kill women and children, says Barhan Omar, standing in the charred ruins of his family's large villa, which Israeli settlers attacked on Sunday. They came in big numbers. This was organised terrorism, he tells me, fighting back tears. What's terrifying is that you're sitting in your house with your children, then suddenly you come under fire.

The Palestinian bank manager says settlers shot at his home in Deir al-Hatab, near Nablus, as well as setting it alight, and that he and his children escaped only by hiding on their roof.

Across the occupied West Bank, there has been a new spate of settler violence in recent days. During the rampage in Deir al-Hatab, at least 10 people were injured - mostly by thrown stones, with one man shot in the foot. This is a village that has not previously experienced such a major attack, unlike other parts of the West Bank.

It followed the funeral of a young Israeli, Yehuda Sherman, at the nearby settlement of Elon Moreh, which was attended by hundreds of mourners and several leading Israeli politicians. The 18-year-old was killed when his all-terrain vehicle was reportedly hit by a Palestinian in a pick-up truck near the outpost where he lived. Settlers believe he was attacked, while Palestinians insist it was an accident.

Residents of Deir al-Hatab fear a repeat of the violence. From the rooftop of his burnt home, Samer Omar, a father-of-four, points out a new track on a nearby hill where settlers are planning another outpost. Soon, we'll be encircled, he says gloomily. There's no safety anymore. I want to raise the wall four or five metres higher, but will that help? May God protect us all.

His neighbour, Barhan Omar, strikes a more defiant note, warning of the risk of a new Palestinian uprising as pressure builds up. [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu should know that we won't stand watching, he says. The Palestinian people will remain steadfast, defending their land and their lives.