Field escalation in the West Bank: Kidnapping of a child in Nablus and a series of settler attacks targeting citizens and their property

Field sources reported an escalation in the pace of settler militia attacks in various areas of the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, where settler groups carried out a series of organized attacks under heavy protection from the occupation forces. These violations focused on targeting unarmed citizens in pastoral communities and towns adjacent to settlements, leading to injuries and panic among the residents.

In a crime described as serious, a group of settlers kidnapped 14-year-old child Osaid Mahmoud Ghanem from the town of Qabalan, south of Nablus. The settlers took the child to a nearby settlement before he was later handed over to the Palestinian liaison, in an incident that reflects the extent of the threat facing children in areas classified as 'C'.

In Hebron Governorate, brothers Mahmoud and Muhammad Farid Al-Hamamda were subjected to a brutal assault by settlers in the Masafer Yatta area while they were herding livestock. The attackers did not stop at beating them, but also threatened the shepherds with weapons and prevented them from accessing natural pastures, as part of attempts to control land and displace its original owners.

The attacks extended to include the destruction of public and private property, as settlers pelted citizens' vehicles with stones east of Ramallah, causing damage to the windows of several cars and inflicting material losses. The 'Yitzhar' junction south of Nablus also witnessed provocative gatherings of settlers that obstructed traffic and spread panic among Palestinian travelers on bypass roads.

In occupied Jerusalem, settlers continued their violations against holy sites by storming the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Mughrabi Gate, where they carried out provocative tours and performed Talmudic rituals in the eastern area of the mosque. These incursions coincide with acts of sabotage that affected farms and facilities in the Mikhmas area, indicating the integration of roles between settler groups and occupation forces to tighten the noose on the Palestinian presence.

These increasing attacks reflect a systematic policy to displace Palestinians and tighten the noose on them with official cover from the occupation government.