INTERNATIONAL – More than 100 Israeli settlers reportedly attacked the Palestinian village of Jalud in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes and preventing a displaced family from returning to their property. The incident occurred as Israeli forces were attempting to accompany the family back to their homes following a court decision.
According to Al Jazeera, the attack targeted two houses belonging to the Al-Tubasi family in Jalud, south of Nablus. The family had been displaced for nearly two months before being allowed to return. Local sources cited by Anadolu said the homes suffered extensive damage after being set ablaze. They also said Israeli forces provided protection to the settlers and later ordered the family to leave again at gunpoint.
Reuters reported that the family had been staying elsewhere in the village after settlers seized the two properties weeks earlier. Israeli forces had agreed to escort them back late on Monday, but roughly 10 minutes after the family reached the houses, more than 100 settlers arrived. Witnesses said the attackers blocked roads and set the homes on fire, while the Israeli military said settlers also threw rocks at security personnel, injuring three officers.
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The Israeli military said the family’s return could not be completed because of the violence. Two settlers were arrested, according to the military, which said an investigation had been opened. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the violence and called for law enforcement authorities to prosecute those responsible.
Wael Tubasi, who owns one of the damaged homes, described the destruction to Reuters in stark terms. “They damaged everything — the doors, the tiles were removed, the stairs were removed. They smashed the bathrooms, doors and windows. They left nothing, everything was broken,” he said. Reuters journalists later found blackened walls and debris inside the property.
The violence was not limited to Jalud. Reuters reported that settlers also attacked the nearby village of Al-Mughayyir, where cars were set on fire and the word “revenge” was spray-painted on an apartment building. Resident Moussa Mohammed Hamdan said, “Wherever they see cars, livestock or olive trees, they destroy them — anything that can hurt us. But God willing, we will remain patient.”
The latest incidents add to continuing tensions in the occupied West Bank, where disputes over homes, land and settlement expansion remain a recurring source of confrontation.
