From arson to land theft: Israeli violence across West Bank escalates
6 Min Read
Israeli settlers escalate attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank as Israeli occupation forces seize land and steal homes.
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Palestinians and journalists survey damage in an industrial zone following an attack by Israeli settlers the previous day in the West Bank village of Beit Lid, near Tulkarm, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 (AP)
A young Palestinian man sustained moderate to serious injuries after being attacked by Israeli settlers on Wednesday evening in the Bedouin community of Arab al-Rashaida, located northwest of Ariha.
According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), the young man suffered a severe injury that included a skull fracture as a result of the settlers' attack and was subsequently transferred to a hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian woman sustained bruises after settlers pelted Palestinian vehicles with stones in the village of al-Rashaida, east of Beit Lahm.
According to a source who spoke to WAFA, a group of settlers attacked passing Palestinian vehicles on the main road connecting Kisan and al-Rashayida, near the illegally built colonies of Ma’ale Amos and Ibei Hanahal.
Palestinian teenager succumbs to injuries
Issam Jihad Ma'ala, 13, was martyred on Tuesday, a month after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli occupation forces in olive groves near the West Bank village of Beita.
Isam Jihad 13 years
— romaissa (@RomaissaTahar) November 12, 2025
About two weeks agohe suffered from suffocation after being hit by tear gas fired at Musakim
On November 11 2025 he died from his injuries.
Another victim of the army and settlers insane attack
Since the beginning of November, the army has killed 5 minors pic.twitter.com/ck4cNrflGc
At the time of the attack, eyewitnesses described how Ma'ala began convulsing and suffocating when the IOF started dispersing olive pickers with gas grenades, despite eyewitnesses saying the pickers posed no danger to the soldiers.
"They simply threw gas in every direction," one eyewitness said
Israeli settlers launch arson attack
On Tuesday, dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked two Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to vehicles and other property.
Palestinians reported that settlers targeted the al-Juneidi dairy factory and stormed the warehouse through an open gate.
Amjad Amer, an employee at al-Juneidi, stated that between 50 to 60 settlers stormed the facility through an open gate with an even larger group roaming outside, emphasizing that the attack was not random but followed a fully organized tactic for carrying out the arson.
West Bank | The moment settlers attacked the “Al-Junaidi” factory and set trucks on fire on the outskirts of the village of Beit Lid, east of Tulkarm. pic.twitter.com/4gn7b7yvfU
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) November 11, 2025
He explained that one settler "pries the door open and then that other guy immediately pours the gasoline, then they step away, then a third guy comes, and he’s the one who lights the fire."
Settlers burn Hajjeh Hamideh mosque
In yet more violations, Israeli settlers set fire early Thursday to the Hajjeh Hamideh Mosque, located between the towns of Deir Istiya and Kifl Haris northwest of Salfit, after pouring flammable materials at its entrance. Residents intervened in time to prevent the mosque from burning down completely.
Nadhmi al-Salman, an activist against settlement expansion, told the WAFA news agency that the settlers also spray-painted racist slogans hostile to Arabs and Muslims on the mosque’s walls.
The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs condemned the attack, saying the arson “clearly reflects the barbarity of Israel’s racist incitement machine against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Palestine,” describing the assault as a “flagrant offense against Muslims and their sentiments.”
The ministry said there is no longer any safe place of worship amid ongoing assaults by Israeli forces and settlers, describing the incident as “a new act of provocative racism” added to a series of crimes targeting holy sites.
It added that the repeated attacks, including arson, closures, and bans on the call to prayer, are “evidence of the brutal savagery” practiced by the occupation, stressing that such crimes violate all religious and international laws guaranteeing freedom of worship.
The ministry urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Arab and Islamic countries to take immediate action to stop these violations, and called on local councils and Palestinians to remain vigilant amid the continuing escalation.
Land seizures, home sealings, arrests target al-Khalil
On the other hand, Israeli occupation forces issued a new military order to seize more than 38 dunams of land in the town of Beit Ummar, north of al-Khalil. According to Beit Ummar municipality engineer Halim Abu Maria, who spoke to WAFA, the municipality received a military order from the occupation forces to seize 38 dunams of Palestinian-owned land located northwest of the town.
Activist Muhammad Awad added that the land, which is planted with grapevines, almond trees, and olive trees, includes areas in Dhahr Afteima, al-Yanbu, Khallat al-Aran, Wadi Ashkhit, Khallat al-Farn, and Sidr Safa. He added that the land belongs to several families whose only income is the crops produced by these lands.
Awad noted that this is the second such order in a short period after the occupation forces issued a military order last month to seize approximately 30 dunams of Palestinian-owned land surrounding Beit al-Baraka, which was seized by settlers several years ago.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces carried out a large-scale arrest campaign on Thursday, detaining 18 Palestinians during a raid on the town of Dura, south of al-Khalil, while others were held and subjected to field interrogations in the southern area.
The forces also arrested three young men from the town of Deir al-Ghusun, north of Tulkarm, and four others from the towns of Beita and Qaryut, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
IOF seal off houses in al-Khalil
Israeli occupation forces sealed off the doors of several houses in the city of al-Khalil, preventing the owners from entering or leaving their homes.
According to a WAFA correspondent, the occupation forces closed the main doors of a number of citizens' homes belonging to the Idris family in the Jaber neighborhood near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City of al-Khalil, using oxygen welding, and prevented their owners from entering or leaving.
The residents of the Jaber, Salaymeh, and Wad al-Hussein neighborhoods have been living in complete isolation from the rest of the southern part of al-Khalil for more than a year after the occupation forces closed all entrances and exits connecting these neighborhoods to the rest of the city with barbed wire.
