Settlers said to assault Palestinian minor, accompanied by IDF troops who arrest local

Settlers assaulted a Palestinian youth this afternoon as they took their livestock to graze adjacent to Palestinian homes in Huwara, part of the Masafer Yatta collection of hamlets near Hebron in the southern West Bank, Palestinian media outlets report.

The minor received treatment in the field for bruises, according to Palestinian outlets. The outlets say another local man, described as elderly, was arrested by Israeli troops who were said to have accompanied the settlers.

قوات الاحتلال تعتقل المسن عادل الحمامدة في مسافر يطا، بعد قيام مستوطنين بإطلاق مواشيهم قرب مساكن المواطنين في منطقة حوارة pic.twitter.com/Tabgka8FNO

— القسطل الإخباري (@AlQastalps) February 3, 2026

A photo of the arrest, published by Palestinian outlets, shows the man seated in the field with three soldiers in full gear standing in front of him.

Earlier footage published by the outlets shows a group of people, reportedly settlers, walking with a few head of livestock adjacent to some of the structures that make up Huwara, which is itself surrounded by open spaces.

#فيديو| مستوطنون بحماية قوات الاحتلال يطلقون مواشيهم بمحيط المنازل ويحتجزون مسنًا، داخل منطقة حوارة في مسافر يطا، جنوب الخليل pic.twitter.com/SvXlxuukg6

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) February 3, 2026

Other footage from Huwara, published by activist Palestinian outlet Eye on Palestine, shows two Palestinians in a shouting match with at least two armed people, apparently settlers, wearing what appears to be partial IDF uniforms.

Armed settlers attack the residence of Huwara village in Masafer Yatta, southern Hebron. pic.twitter.com/XwVegW74nM

— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) February 3, 2026

During the argument, one of the settlers cocks a standard-issue IDF assault rifle, pointing it in the air, and the other settler cocks a pistol, aiming it at the Palestinians.

The IDF does not immediately respond to a request for comment.