Off-duty soldier suspended for firing at Palestinians in West Bank, says they threw stones

An off-duty soldier has been suspended for opening fire on Palestinians after he allegedly came under stone-throwing in the West Bank on Saturday, the military said Sunday.

The IDF said troops had been dispatched several times to the village of al-Mughayyir on Saturday, following reports of clashes between Israeli settlers who invaded the village and Palestinian residents.

The clashes included stone throwing and stone barriers placed on roads, according to the IDF, which did not specify which side was to blame for those actions.

The troops “acted to disperse the confrontation and remove the roadblocks,” the army said, adding that they also came under stone-throwing amid the incident.

Later, the army said it received a report of an off-duty soldier who said Palestinians hurled stones at him on the outskirts of al-Mughayyir. The off-duty soldier fired at the Palestinians while no other troops were in the area, the army said, adding that it was unaware of any injuries caused by the gunfire.

The soldier was then detained by police officers and taken for questioning over the shooting. The army added that the soldier was suspended until the incident is investigated.

In a separate incident on Saturday, the military said it was investigating a soldier who shot a Palestinian man in the leg in the northern West Bank amid a clash with settlers, apparently in breach of army protocol.

The injured man was taken by the Palestinian Red Crescent for treatment. His condition was not given.

Footage showed that the man was shot while not throwing stones or posing any apparent threat to the soldiers.

Troops were dispatched to the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Faqoua, near Jenin, following reports of a clash between Palestinians and Israeli settlers.

The settlers, from the newly established Zayit Bagilboa farming outpost, had brought their livestock to graze on land in the area.

The Palestinian Authority’s official WAFA news agency said the land belongs to Faqoua, while Army Radio reported it had been declared to be part of the settlement farm when it was founded earlier this summer.

לפני זמן קצר: במהלך חיכוך בין פלסטינים למתנחלים, עימותים בין מתיישבים ליד פקועה (מרחב ג'נין) במהלך האירוע, למקום הגיעו חיילים וירו ברגל של אחד הפלסטינים. לפני כן החיילים ירו באוויר. תיעוד הירי ברגל pic.twitter.com/m3G8I5yTuh

— Yossi Eli (@Yossi_eli) September 12, 2026

Footage showed at least three settlers, one of them armed, standing with the soldiers when the man was shot.

The troops continued to fire in the air even as the Palestinians carried the injured man away.

In response to a query, the military said that after the Palestinians allegedly hurled stones at the settlers during the incident, the troops who arrived at the scene “fired shots in the air and at a Palestinian.”

“The incident is being investigated by commanders, and its findings will be forwarded for review by the relevant authorities,” the army added.

There have been near-daily attacks and harassment of Palestinians by settlers in recent months. Saturday’s clash was not only on the Jewish Sabbath, but also Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year.

Farming outposts are considered illegal under Israeli law because they’re established without all necessary permits; however, most receive varying degrees of government support and funding, and some have later been formally recognized.

The left-wing Peace Now organization, which campaigns against settlements in the West Bank, has said that some 120 farming outposts have been established in the three-plus years since the government came to power.

Some of these farming outposts have become hotbeds for settler violence that terrorizes nearby Palestinian communities, as far-right activists use the agricultural communes to expand Israel’s grip over West Bank territory.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.