IDF punishes troops who vandalized vehicles during rogue raid in Palestinian village

Several IDF soldiers have received punishments after entering a Palestinian village in the central West Bank without authorization and vandalizing vehicles, the military said Tuesday.

According to the IDF, a force from the Paratroopers Brigade entered the village of Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah, on Saturday in violation of procedures. During the incident, soldiers damaged Palestinian vehicles “in a manner that deviated from regulations, orders, and what is expected of IDF soldiers and service members.”

Deir Dibwan was separately subject to an attack by settlers, and the IDF enforcement action comes at the end of a year when extremist violence in the West Bank spiked, including acts of vandalism. US officials were said to have raised concerns about the violence in the meeting on Monday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in Florida.

In the case of Saturday’s vandalism, the incident was investigated after coming to the attention of commanders, with the probe uncovering additional “irregularities,” the IDF said. All soldiers involved have been tried and punished, the military added.

Squad commanders were sentenced to 30 days in military prison, along with another soldier who initiated the vandalism and will serve 20 days. The remainder of those involved received 28 days’ detention on base.

The IDF said all commanders involved in the incident will not return to command or combat roles following their sentences.

The initial findings of the probe were presented to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who determined that the incident was serious and ordered an expanded investigation at the company and battalion levels. Further findings are expected to be presented in the coming days.

The military stressed that its forces were continuing to operate in the area to ensure security while maintaining law and order, claiming that any deviation from regulations is examined and addressed.

The past year has seen a surge in attacks by settler extremists on Palestinians and their property across the West Bank. The IDF has recorded more than 752 incidents of nationalistic crime and settler violence since the start of the year. The total for 2024 was 675 incidents.

The attacks, which occur on a near-daily basis, largely go unchecked. Prosecutions of Jewish extremists are rare, and convictions are even rarer. Critics have accused the government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, of shrugging off the attacks.

Attacks by terror operatives also continue to occur across the territory.

On Tuesday, the IDF said troops shot and killed an assailant who it said had attempted to ram soldiers operating in the West Bank village of Einabus, near Nablus, in the northern West Bank.

According to the IDF, the force opened fire after the assailant tried to carry out the attack, killing him at the scene. No soldiers were injured in the incident.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said following the incident that three other people had been in the car in addition to the alleged assailant, and that they had been hospitalized in serious condition.

The fourth passenger, who was killed, was identified by the Palestinian Authority as Qays Allan, 20. Allan’s body was still being held by Israeli forces as of Tuesday night, according to the PA’s General Authority of Civil Affairs.

The IDF statement did not mention other people being in the vehicle with the suspected assailant.

اللحظات الأولى بعد انقلاب مركبة واشتعال النار بها إثر إطلاق قوات الاحتلال النار عليها بكثافة بين قريتي عينابوس وعوريف جنوب نابلس

التفاصيل: https://t.co/vCLwmxvXbJ pic.twitter.com/WbVi2ebplS

— موقع عرب 48 (@arab48website) December 30, 2025

Palestinian media reported that the vehicle rolled over and caught fire as a result of the IDF gunfire. Footage from the scene showed the flames.

That attack took place days after a Palestinian terrorist from the West Bank entered Israel and killed two people in a stabbing and car-ramming attack.