VIDEO: Israeli army arrests 19 Palestinians after settlers attack Hebron village
- Last updated: October 6, 2025 | 15:46
Israeli settler militias launched an assault on the Palestinian village of Zuweidin in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, injuring two residents and damaging homes and vehicles, according to local sources.
Witnesses said a group of armed settlers attacked two 12-year-old shepherds, attempting to seize their flock. When residents intervened, the settlers began throwing stones at houses and cars and reportedly fired live ammunition at villagers. Two people were injured, and several vehicles sustained damage.
Residents said the Israeli army later entered the area, but instead of stopping the settlers, soldiers detained 19 villagers, parading them out of the village in what witnesses described as a “humiliating” manner.
“The soldiers came after the settlers left,” said a local resident. “They arrested our people instead of protecting us.”
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks by settlers against Palestinian communities in the South Hebron Hills area. Human rights organizations have warned of a growing pattern in which settlers carry out assaults under military protection, leaving local residents vulnerable.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settler-related violence across the West Bank has increased significantly this year, leading to numerous injuries and displacements.
Palestinian officials condemned the attack, describing it as part of an ongoing effort to displace residents of Masafer Yatta, an area designated by the Israeli military as a “firing zone.”
“The assault on Zuweidin is part of a systematic campaign to expel civilians from their land,” the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, calling on the international community to ensure protection for residents.
Masafer Yatta has been the focus of long-standing legal disputes after the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in 2022 to allow military training in the area — a decision criticized by rights groups as violating international law.