Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the West Bank. This happened after the death of a Jewish teenager

Photo: Mamoun Wazwaz/Anadolu via Getty Images

The surge in violence began after 18-year-old settler Yehuda Sherman died on Saturday. The teenager, who was riding an ATV, was reportedly hit by a car driven by a Palestinian. Police are investigating whether the attack was intentional or accidental.

In response, calls for a "revenge campaign" for Sherman's death began circulating in WhatsApp chats used by settlers. According to a Ministry of Defense official, quoted by Israeli media, more than 20 attacks by settlers were recorded overnight.

Cases of settler violence have increased since the US and Israel attacked Iran: according to the UN, six Palestinians have been killed by settlers since March 1.

A statement from the Israel Defense Forces said that on Saturday evening, IDF troops and Border Police units were dispatched to several Palestinian villages after reports that Israeli settlers were "setting fire to buildings and property, and causing riots in the area."

The villages of Jalud, Qaryut, Al-Fundaqamiya, and Silat al-Dhahr were attacked.

Video footage circulated online shows more than 90 people in black clothing — many of them masked — running into Jalud.

Other videos, presumably taken in the village, show burning cars, buildings with broken windows, and the sound of ambulance sirens. One photo shows the inscription "Avenge Yehuda" spray-painted on a building.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that in Jalud, at least three Palestinians sustained head injuries and were taken to the hospital after clashes with the attackers, some of whom were also injured.

Israeli media reported that one WhatsApp message in a chat used by settlers stated: "Jews will not remain silent about spilled Jewish blood." Another message declared: "We demand retribution and the expulsion of the enemy."

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack, stating that it included "the burning of homes and property, terrorizing and killing civilians, and shelling important roads, intersections, and main streets during Eid al-Fitr" [the holiday marking the end of Ramadan — ed.].

Israeli police reported on Sunday that border guards arrested five people near the village of Deir al-Hatab. The statement also said that one officer was injured after several Israelis attacked security forces near the Itamar settlement. The statement noted that police are acting "with zero tolerance for extremist individuals prone to violence."

"Yesh Din," an Israeli human rights group dedicated to protecting Palestinian rights, called the attacks a "night of pogroms."

"Despite available information about planned attacks, security forces once again failed to prepare adequately," the group said in a statement published Sunday evening on X. "No preventive measures were taken to prevent the pogroms."

According to Israeli media, over 500 people attended Yehuda Sherman's funeral on Sunday afternoon, including far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is under sanctions from the UK and other countries for inciting violence against Palestinians.

On Sunday evening, Jewish settlers blocked roads in the West Bank in protest.

There were unconfirmed reports that groups of settlers had begun gathering again near some Palestinian villages; local news agency WAFA reported that they set fire to a car wash northwest of Nablus.

Earlier this month, the EU and the UK demanded that Israel end the surge in settler violence against Palestinians, which has been observed since the start of the war with Iran on February 28.

According to the UN, since the beginning of the year, seven Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and 18 by Israeli forces, with 15 of these killings occurring after the start of the war with Iran.

Yair Golan, leader of the Israeli center-left Labor party, condemned the latest attacks, accusing the Israeli government of allowing them to happen. He wrote on X: "While we are fighting in Iran and on the northern border, subjected to rocket fire and with many seriously wounded, this government is encouraging total anarchy."

"Jewish terrorism is spreading, exploiting the war for its own purposes, with the support of extremist ministers and dangerous encouragement from the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense." This is a failure in ensuring Israel's security accountability," Golan continued.

After another attack last week, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir stated that settler violence in the West Bank is "morally and ethically unacceptable."

Israel has built about 160 settlements, home to 700,000 Jews, since its occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War — lands that Palestinians, along with Gaza, want to use to establish a future state. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them.

Under international law, the settlements are illegal.

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