Settlers assault Palestinians, burn cars in overnight West Bank raid; no arrests
Police say they are probing settler attack that left 3 wounded in Hebron-area town of Surif; settlers reportedly assault Palestinian couple tending farm near Ramallah
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Israeli settlers raided the West Bank Palestinian town of Surif overnight Friday-Saturday, where they attacked residents, set fire to cars and damaged property, according to Israeli authorities and Palestinian media.
The IDF said Saturday morning that it received a report of three Palestinians who were wounded after being attacked by Israelis in Surif, west of Hebron, and dispatched troops to the area.
The troops located cars that were set on fire, along with Hebrew graffiti sprayed on a structure, the army said.
No arrests were made as the settlers apparently fled before the IDF arrived.
Footage purportedly from the town showed masked Israelis hurling stones at a home, as well as a burnt-out car following the attack.
According to Surif’s Mayor, Hazem Gheimat, the attackers arrived from the nearby settlement of Bat Ayin, and set fire to several cars before fleeing.
Israeli settlers attacked the home of Palestinian resident Moataz Abdullah Ghneimat in the town of Surif last night, terrorizing his family, including women and children, before setting his vehicle on fire and spray-painting racist graffiti on the walls of the house.
شنّ… pic.twitter.com/6SJHeGwdKQ
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) August 1, 2026
The Israel Police said that officers entered Surif on Saturday morning escorted by the IDF to collect evidence and testimony for the investigation.
“The Israel Police and security forces view such cases of violence and causing damage gravely and will continue to act decisively and professionally to locate those involved, investigate them, and bring them to justice,” police added.
Later Saturday, a group of Israeli settlers attacked the Ramallah-area village of Beitillu, assaulting a Palestinian man and his wife, according to the WAFA news agency.
????إصابة مزارع وزوجته خلال اعتداء نفذه مستوطنون على أرضهما في بلدة بيتللو شمال غرب رام الله. pic.twitter.com/HlFDBRiHi4
— شبكة يافا الإخبارية (@yaffa_ps) August 1, 2026
The couple was reportedly working on their farm when several extremist settlers attacked them, leaving both moderately injured. The two were taken for treatment at a local hospital, the report said.
Israel Police did not immediately comment on the report.
Also Saturday, the military said an off-duty soldier was detained for allegedly opening fire the day before in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir, wounding a child.
Footage of the incident showed a mother and her three young children trying to run out of the way as shots were fired from a distance. One of the children, a 10-year-old, holds their arm after apparently being hit.
The IDF said that it received a report of a Palestinian child being wounded by gunfire in al-Mughayyir on Friday, and a short while ago, police officers detained a standing army soldier over his suspected involvement in the incident.
Police also confiscated his weapon, the army added.
لحظات من الرعب عاشها ثلاثة أطفال ووالدتهم بعد أن أطلق مستوطنون إسرائيليون النار بشكل مباشر عليهم وهم داخل منزلهم في بلدة المغير شرق رام الله في الضفة الغربية .
تلك البلدات لا تمتلك سلاحًا، ولا توجد فيها فصائل أو أحزاب فلسطينية؛ بل هي عائلات فلسطينية تسعى فقط للبقاء على قيد… pic.twitter.com/yOljjw16sw
— Tamer | تامر (@tamerqdh) July 31, 2026
The latest incidents come a week after two Israelis and four Palestinians were killed in a gunfight that erupted when settlers entered the West Bank town of Tell.
Settler violence has mounted in recent months, with near-daily attacks taking place throughout the West Bank, but few suspected assailants are arrested and charged. Critics accuse the government of condoning or even encouraging the attacks.
Attacks regularly take place on Friday nights and Saturdays, during the Jewish Shabbat rest day, even though many of the alleged perpetrators are religious.
Shin Bet figures from earlier this year found that three times more Palestinians were victims of terror attacks in the West Bank than Jews.
The military recorded 867 incidents of nationalistic crime and settler violence in 2025, up from 682 incidents in 2024.
The Times of Israel Community.