Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in violent West Bank settler assault

Middle East Eye

18 hours ago

Israeli forces killed three men on Wednesday after intervening to protect settlers during a violent assault on a Palestinian town near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
The incident began at around 7pm when over 50 Israeli settlers descended on Kafr Malik from a recently established outpost between the town and Al-Mazra'a al-Sharqiya, east of Ramallah.
The settlers set fire to parts of three homes and completely torched four vehicles.
As residents gathered to confront the attackers, Israeli soldiers stormed the town and began firing live ammunition.
Three men were killed and at least seven others were wounded, local officials said.
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Jihad al-Qaq, a resident of Kafr Malik, told Middle East Eye that the settlers had targeted the southern part of the town.
'When residents gathered in large numbers, they surrounded the settlers, who were armed and began shooting at us,' he said.
'The army then stormed the town to protect them and opened fire on the residents. All injuries were to the upper body, showing that soldiers intended to kill or seriously injure,' Qaq added.
'All injuries were to the upper body, showing that soldiers intended to kill or seriously injure'
- Jihad al-Qaq, Kafr Malik resident
Emergency medical crews were reportedly blocked from reaching the wounded. Residents had to use private vehicles to transport the casualties to ambulances stationed outside the town.
The main entrance to Kafr Malik has been closed off by Israeli forces with an iron gate for the past six months, forcing ambulances to take a longer route.
'The delay caused a deterioration in the condition of the wounded. Three of them died despite being conscious when we evacuated them. Seven others are being treated in hospital and are in stable condition,' Qaq said.
In addition to the gunshot victims, 10 people suffered from teargas inhalation and bruises sustained during physical clashes with the settlers.
Grief and anger
On Monday, Israeli forces shot and killed 13-year-old Ammar Hamayel while he was walking on the outskirts of Kafr Malik with a friend.
Ambulances were reportedly prevented from reaching him for 40 minutes.
At the time of Wednesday's settler attack, residents of Kafr Malik were still mourning the boy's death and offering condolences to his family.
The grief and anger fuelled a collective response, as residents mobilised to confront the settlers.
'He lay bleeding for a long time. By the time we managed to get him to hospital, he had died'
- Munjed Hamayel, brother of killed Palestinian
Among the three men killed during the confrontation was Lutfi Sabri, who had been released from Israeli detention in October 2023 after serving eight months in prison.
Another was Muhammad al-Naji, a resident who was among those resisting the settler assault.
The third fatality, 30-year-old Murshid Hamayel, was shot outside his home while trying to protect his children.
His brother, Munjed Hamayel, told MEE that Murshid heard screams from outside and went to investigate.
'He found groups of settlers in front of him. Suddenly, the Israeli army opened fire. He was shot directly in the head and collapsed,' Munjed said.
'We couldn't reach him because of the gunfire. He lay bleeding for a long time. By the time we managed to get him to hospital, he had died.'
Ali Salama, a community activist in Kafr Malik, said this was the first settler attack to target homes in the town in years.
Even during the funeral procession for the three men on Thursday, he added, settlers stormed the town's outskirts again.
Fear of annexation
The homes attacked on Wednesday lie in Area C of the West Bank, under full Israeli control. Palestinians fear that such assaults are part of broader efforts to displace them and seize land under Israel's annexation policies.
'The eastern side of the town is surrounded by settlement outposts,' Salama said.
'Every hilltop is occupied by settlers who block residents from grazing livestock or farming while using the land themselves, part of a strategy to eventually take it over.'
The southern side of Kafr Malik is bordered by a settlement road, while the Israeli army has kept the town's main entrance sealed since the start of the year.
'We raised funds to build a new road through a neighbouring town,' Salama said.
'We now have to travel over 40 kilometres to leave the area, instead of the usual 15. Ramallah is only 15 minutes away, but it now takes over an hour to reach.'
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Ain Samia, a freshwater spring that once supplied the town, was seized by settlers at the beginning of the war on Gaza in October 2023.
Since then, Palestinians have been barred from accessing it, and nearby Bedouin communities have been forcibly removed.
According to the Palestinian Authority's Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, settlers have carried out over 5,000 attacks and assaults across the West Bank since October 2023.
In a recent statement, the commission said 26 Palestinians have been killed by settler gunfire during this period. It accused Israeli authorities of enabling the violence.
'Settlers have intensified terrorist attacks against defenceless civilians as a result of the job-sharing and full support they receive from the occupying state's official institutions,' the statement read.
'We call on the international community and human rights organisations to act by protecting the Palestinian people and imposing sanctions on the occupying power.'
Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in roughly 300 illegal settlements in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
Under international law, settlement construction in an occupied territory is illegal.