Awad Said Settlers Burned Houses, Physically Assaulted Women and Children, and Torched Trees, Leaving 5-6 Homes Unusable

Residents of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, said Israeli settlers are escalating attacks to force Palestinians off their land. Ali Awad, a resident of Khirbet al-Tuba village, told Anadolu Agency that 30-40 settlers attacked the village on Wednesday evening, setting fire to straw and barley stores, destroying solar panels that supply electricity, and spreading attacks to nearby homes. Awad said settlers burned houses, physically assaulted women and children, and torched trees, leaving 5-6 homes unusable.

Many Palestinians, including women and children, were wounded, with some affected by smoke; Awad did not give a casualty count. The aim of all these attacks is to force us to leave the area and ensure the settlers stay, he said. Awad requested fire extinguishers and smoke-protection gear to respond to fires and urged residents to be better prepared.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent and the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, Wednesday's attack on Khirbet al-Tuba wounded six Palestinians, three of them women, and set many homes ablaze. The Masafer Yatta area has seen a recent rise in demolitions of homes and agricultural structures, demolition notices, and settler attacks. Palestinian officials say Israel aims to forcibly displace Palestinian communities and expand illegal settlement activity.

Since Israel's offensive on Gaza began, attacks by the Israeli army and settlers on Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank have intensified. According to official Palestinian sources, more than 1,182 Palestinians have been killed, about 13,000 wounded, and nearly 24,000 detained in attacks in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 2023. Bütün bu saldırıların amacı bizi bölgeyi terk etmeye zorlamak, Filistin topraklarını gasbeden İsraillilerin burada kalmasını sağlamak.