Israeli army, settlers attack Palestinians in Hebron area of West Bank | Israel-Palestine conflict News

A number of Palestinians have been injured in separate attacks by the Israeli army and settlers in the Hebron area of the occupied West Bank, amid an escalating wave of state-backed violence as Israel concurrently continues its genocidal war on Gaza.

In ad-Dhahiriya, about 24km (15 miles) southwest of Hebron, Israeli forces fired live and rubber bullets as they carried out a raid on Tuesday night, security sources told the Wafa news agency.

Several Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated bullets fired at their feet, the agency reported.

In a separate incident, four Palestinians were wounded when dozens of settlers launched an attack on the village of Khirbet Susiya in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, late on Tuesday, local sources told Al Jazeera.

The settlers also damaged property, setting six structures and a car on fire, sources said.

Settlers rampaging with impunity, attacking Palestinian civilians and their property, often with the backing of the Israeli military across the West Bank, have driven waves of families to flee the village, established in the late 1800s, leaving only about 30 families remaining.

Meanwhile, settlers, under the protection of the Israeli military, attacked the home of a Palestinian man currently in Israeli detention in Masafer Bani Na’im, east of Hebron, on Wednesday, Wafa reported.

The settlers, from a newly established settlement in the area, stole 30 of his sheep, killed another, and damaged the tyres of his vehicle, the agency reported, adding that the man whose property was targeted had previously been assaulted by settlers.

Israeli forces also raided Palestinian homes and assaulted several residents in the town of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Wafa reported.

Citing local sources, it said Israeli forces stormed the town, raided a number of homes, assaulted residents, broke down doors and vandalised property while a drone flew overhead and stun grenades and flares were fired.

Wafa also reported that Israeli authorities, using bulldozers, have begun demolishing a building and shops at the entrance to the village of Anza, south of Jenin.

Settler attacks intensify

Palestinians have faced a wave of intensified Israeli military and settler violence across the West Bank since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023.

At least 1,094 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers in the West Bank since October 2023, according to the latest United Nations figures.

Last week, the UN Human Rights Council warned in a new report (PDF) that Israeli policies in the West Bank – including “the systematic unlawful use of force” by the Israeli army and unlawful demolitions of Palestinian homes – aim to uproot Palestinian communities.

The UN report raised concerns of “ethnic cleansing” by Israeli authorities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, amid increased attacks and forcible transfers that “appear to aim at a permanent displacement” of Palestinians.

The UN has documented an unprecedented increase in settler attacks since Israel’s genocidal war began in October 2023, with more than 3,700 reported until the end of 2025, more than the previous 10 years combined.

The attacks have gathered pace this year, with nearly 700 Palestinians displaced by settler violence and harassment in January, the highest number since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began, according to the UN.