Israeli Settlers Set Fire to Palestinian Home in Jalud, Injuring Residents in West Bank

Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian home in the occupied West Bank village of Jalud, reportedly as residents were still inside, in an attack that Al Jazeera says came amid wider violence in the occupied territories.

Al Jazeera reported that the attack occurred as settlers assaulted Palestinians and Israeli forces carried out mass detentions, placing the Jalud arson within a broader pattern of escalation.

Al Jazeera

Reuters Connect described Palestinians evacuating usable items after Palestinian-owned houses were set on fire by Israeli settlers in Jalud, south of Nablus, with the evacuation tied to property damage.

The Times of Israel said extremist Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians at about 20 sites across the West Bank on Saturday night, setting fire to homes, vehicles and other property.

Haaretz, cited by The Times of Israel, said 11 Palestinians were lightly injured in the attacks, while the Palestinian Red Crescent said three people were injured after being beaten by settlers in Jalud.

The Times of Israel also reported that video recordings from the villages of Jalud, al-Funduqiya, Wasila al-Dahr, and Qiryot showed buildings ablaze and residents rushing to evacuate those inside.

In Jalud specifically, The القدس العربي reported that three Palestinians were injured in the early hours of Sunday as settlers burned four vehicles and the headquarters of the village council in Jalud, southeast of Nablus.

Beyond Jalud, multiple outlets described a wider sweep of attacks across the West Bank that included burning vehicles, homes, and other property at numerous locations.

The Times of Israel said video recordings showed buildings ablaze in Jalud, al-Funduqiya, Wasila al-Dahr, and Qiryot, and it described residents being heard rushing to evacuate those inside.

Chronique de Palestine

It also reported that in al-Funduqiya, settlers used Molotov cocktails; near Ramallah they threw stones; and in Sebastia near Nablus, the attackers threw an explosive device, causing two buildings and three cars to catch fire, according to Haaretz.

The القدس العربي said WAFA reported that the fiercest attack among those assaults targeted the village of al-Funduqiyah, south of Jenin, where settlers burned Palestinian homes and vehicles, and it added that residents tried to confront the attackers and extinguish fires.

The القدس العربي also reported that in the northern Jordan Valley, WAFA said settlers attacked Palestinians at the Ain al-Halwa gathering and sprayed them with pepper spray.

In addition, قناة الغد said dozens of settlers entered Jalud under tight protection from Israeli occupation forces, attacking homes and residents’ property while occupation forces fired tear gas and sound bombs at Palestinians who tried to confront the assault and defend their homes.

The same Al-Ghad report described the assault as affecting more than one point within Jalud, with residents trying to extinguish flames and prevent assaults from spreading to other homes.

The reports also tied the settler violence to Israeli military and police actions in the West Bank, including arrests and raids.

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Haaretz

قناة الغد said the escalation occurred alongside Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon and described Israeli forces continuing to breach a ceasefire there, but it also returned to the West Bank by describing tear gas and sound bombs fired at Palestinians during the Jalud assault.

The القدس العربي and قناة الغد both framed the Jalud attack as part of a broader pattern of attacks and confrontations, with WAFA describing assaults that included burning vehicles and throwing stones at Palestinian vehicles.

In parallel, the التلفزيون العربي report said that the attacks by Israeli settlers coincided with the Israeli forces’ arrest of six Palestinians, four of them from Tuqu southeast of Bethlehem, and two children during its raid of Beit Ummar north of Hebron.

The التلفزيون العربي also reported that seven Palestinians were injured in a series of attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against villages and towns in the occupied West Bank since yesterday, and it specified injuries in Jalud, Burqin, Jenin, Sila al-Dahr, western Salfit, Qalqilia, and Ain al-Halwa.

It said that in the northern West Bank, three Palestinians were injured in predawn hours of Sunday as Israeli settlers attacked Jalud, including burning four vehicles and the local council building.

The same report added that during February, settlers carried out 511 attacks in the West Bank, which led to the martyrdom of seven Palestinians at the hands of the settlers, and it further stated that since October 8, 2023, assaults have killed 1,133 Palestinians and injured about 11,700, and detained about 22,000.

The Times of Israel described the violence as potentially linked to a death involving an 18-year-old settler, Yehuda Sherman, and it reported that graffiti at some sites suggested retaliation.

It said Yehuda Sherman, an 18-year-old settler, was killed earlier on Saturday when a Palestinian-owned small truck struck the ATV he was riding with his brother near the illegal outpost where they live.

Mondoweiss

The Times of Israel reported that police and the Israeli army were investigating whether the incident was a deliberate attack, while several senior coalition politicians quickly condemned it as an act of terrorism.

It added that graffiti on walls at some of the sites of settler violence on Saturday night suggested that at least some of the attacks were carried out in retaliation for Sherman’s death.

The Times of Israel also reported that on Sunday the Israeli army said the suspect turned himself in during Saturday night and is under investigation, adding that the circumstances of the incident are still under review.

In a further development, the Times of Israel said Daniel Sherman issued a statement from his hospital bed and described what he said happened, including the quoted line "I went down a steep asphalt slope, I saw a white pickup owned by a Arab man, he spotted me from below and waited for me on the side of the road."

The Times of Israel also quoted Daniel Sherman saying "When I passed by him, he chased me, sped toward me, and when there was a sharp turn beside a cliff he rammed me and threw me down the cliff."

As the attacks unfolded, the Times of Israel reported that the Israeli army deployed troops and Border Police to handle incidents after reports of violence.

It said that after several hours of reports about the violence, the Israeli army said troops from the army and Border Police were deployed to handle the incidents.

Reuters Connect

The Times of Israel also quoted an IDF spokesperson statement saying that reports had been received about Israeli citizens burning buildings and property and disrupting public order in the area.

The statement added that the forces were working to restore order and that Israeli forces condemn violence in all its forms and will continue to work to protect the safety of residents and maintain order in the area.

The Times of Israel further stated that there were no reports of arrests, which it described as very rare in cases of settler violence, and it said that by midday Sunday a spokesman for the West Bank police told the outlet that an investigation had been opened into the incidents.

Alongside the IDF framing, Haaretz’s reporting as cited by The Times of Israel said 11 Palestinians were lightly injured, and the Palestinian Red Crescent said three people were injured after being beaten by settlers in Jalud and six more were injured from beatings in villages in the Jenin area.

In parallel, Reuters Connect described Israeli soldiers protecting a group of settlers as they attacked Palestinians and their homes with stones and Molotov cocktails.