Settlers torch West Bank homes, attack Palestinians, injuring several; police probing
Some residents suffer from smoke inhalation; others, including 6-year-old, injured with sticks, stones; army condemns incident, says assailants fled before troops arrived
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A group of armed settlers raided the hamlet of Khirbet a-Tuba in the South Hebron Hills overnight Thursday and set several homes on fire, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, and Israeli security forces launched an investigation.
According to the report, a number of residents, including women and children, suffered from smoke inhalation as a result of the attack.
A local resident, who requested anonymity, told The Times of Israel that six residents were also injured after being attacked by settlers wielding sticks and throwing stones. According to him, the injured included a 6-year-old girl and a 36-year-old woman.
He said that around 30 settlers entered the community and fled a short time later. Residents filed a police complaint, he added.
Media reports also said Hebrew graffiti reading “Eretz Yehuda” (“Land of Judea,” a reference to the geographic region where the hamlet is located) was spray-painted at the scene.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said troops were dispatched to Khirbet a-Tuba after receiving a report of Israelis who entered the hamlet and set fire to homes and attacked residents, but that the assailants fled before troops arrived.
بغطاء من الاحـ'تلال تتواصل جرائمهم ..
مشاهد من إحراق المـ'ستوطنين عدداً من مساكن الفلسطينيين في "خربة الطوبا" بمسافر يطا، جنوب الخليل. pic.twitter.com/UPNGJO5E0m— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) August 5, 2026
“As a result, several Palestinians were injured, including a girl and a woman. Several structures were also set on fire,” the IDF confirmed.
The military said that it “strongly condemns incidents of this kind, including harm to residents, among them women and children.”
Police officers entered the village overnight with an IDF escort to collect evidence and testimony for an investigation.
“The IDF expects law enforcement authorities to bring the suspects to justice,” the army added.
#صور | مستوطنون يخطون شعارات معادية في خربة الطوبا بمسافر يطا جنوب #الخليل pic.twitter.com/kZw0Yr9rSQ
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) August 5, 2026
Separately, WAFA later reported that settlers had cordoned off parts of the Hammamat al-Malih area of the northern Jordan Valley beginning Wednesday and into Thursday.
Citing al-Malih village council head Mahdi Daraghmeh, the report alleged that settlers had fenced off sections of Hammamat al-Malih belonging to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, preventing Palestinians from entering.
According to WAFA, the patriarchate had previously condemned the settlers’ actions on its land, and said that it was addressing the issue through legal channels.
The Times of Israel Community.