Settlers attack Palestinian village in West Bank, five homes torched

Settlers launched an overnight raid on the Palestinian community of Khirbet Tuba in the southern Hebron Hills on Thursday, setting fire to five homes in what Palestinian residents say was a coordinated attack. The incident marks the latest in a series of confrontations in the volatile region, where tensions between Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents remain high. According to Palestinian accounts, the attackers fled towards the nearby Meon settlement following the assault.

Six Palestinians were injured in the attack, including three children aged between five and eight years old. Among the wounded were a 10-year-old boy, a 22-year-old man, and a 35-year-old woman identified as the mother of one of the young girls. The injuries ranged in severity, with medical teams responding to treat those affected by smoke inhalation and burns sustained during the fires.

Khirbet Tuba, a small Palestinian community in the South Hebron Hills area, has experienced repeated tensions with nearby settler communities. The South Hebron Hills region has been a particularly contentious flashpoint, with Palestinians reporting regular incidents of property damage and harassment. Khirbet Tuba itself is classified as Area C under the Oslo Accords, placing it under full Israeli military and civilian control, though it remains inhabited by Palestinian residents.

The attack comes amid ongoing friction in the West Bank, where similar incidents of settler violence against Palestinian communities have been documented by human rights organisations and international observers. Israeli security forces typically investigate such incidents, though Palestinians have long complained that investigations into settler violence proceed slowly and rarely result in prosecutions.

Source: Walla News — Original article in Hebrew.