7 arrested over attack on Palestinian hamlet in which settlers said to have sexually abused resident

Police say they have arrested seven suspects in connection to a settler attack on a West Bank Palestinian hamlet earlier this month, in which assailants are said to have sexually assaulted a resident.

One of the alleged attackers was released last night under restrictive conditions on a judge’s order. The others will remain in custody until at least Wednesday.

The attack on Khirbet Humsa, a Bedouin town in the northern Jordan Valley, took place before dawn on March 13 when a group of violent settlers broke into residents’ homes and forced them outside.

The attackers restrained the residents, beat them violently, and committed “indecent acts” on one of the victims, law enforcement says.

An American activist who witnessed the scene told Haaretz several days later that the settlers “pulled down the Palestinian man’s pants, poured water all over him and brutally beat him into the dirt.”

“All he could do was curl into a fetal position and scream when they beat him with their clubs,” she recalled. “It was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.”

Police say the rioters damaged and stole villagers’ property, including a large number of sheep used as livestock. Several residents sustained injuries, including four who required medical treatment, according to the police statement.

The attack is being probed by the West Bank District’s investigations and intelligence unit “alongside additional security agencies.” According to Haaretz, the Shin Bet is involved in the ongoing investigation.