Settlers try to steal Palestinian-owned sheep in Hebron Hills as West Bank violence soars

Extremist settlers reportedly carried out two attacks against Palestinians late Wednesday in the West Bank, as the phenomenon of settler violence continues largely unchecked.

Footage from Wednesday evening showed settlers attempting to steal sheep from Palestinian herders in the West Bank hamlet of Al-Mirkaz in the South Hebron Hills, with residents claiming that the extremists were accompanied by at least one soldier.

The footage, taken by villagers, shows the settlers entering their homes and their sheep pens, while a separate video shows others approaching a different pen accompanied by a person wearing an IDF in uniform, although without tactical equipment, and another individual who was in half-uniform.

There was no response to a request for comment from the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

According to Mishirqi Quamar Assad, an attorney with the legal aid organization Haqel-In Defense of Human Rights, which represents Palestinians in the region, the assailants were trying to place ear tags of their own on the Palestinian-owned sheep in order to be able to claim that they belonged to the settlers.

Palestinian herders in the West Bank, their legal representatives, and Israeli civil rights activists have frequently reported and documented efforts by settler extremists to intermingle their own herds with Palestinian herds in order to then steal the Palestinian livestock, as well as similar tactics.

Extremist settlers broke into Palestinian homes and sheep pens in Al-Mirkaz in the South Hebron Hills today, apparently accompanied by [reservist/off duty?] IDF soldiers in what residents and their lawyer said was an attempt to steal their sheep… pic.twitter.com/yrRxNeYXAE

— Jeremy Sharon (@jeremysharon) April 15, 2026

In recent years, settler extremists have stolen livestock as a way to deprive rural Palestinian communities of their livelihood and force them out of their homes.

In January, settlers accompanied by IDF soldiers stole 150 head of livestock from the hamlet of Khirbet al-Halawa in an incident caught on security camera footage. Al-Mirkaz lies just 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) west of Khirbet al-Halawa.

In a separate incident overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, two Palestinians were reportedly wounded by settlers throwing stones at their vehicle in the Bethlehem area.

According to a report in WAFA, the official Palestinian Authority news agency, the two Palestinians were taken for medical treatment and were in stable condition.

The left-wing Yesh Din organization reported Wednesday that settlers carried out 378 incidents of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank throughout the 40 days of the Iran war in March and April.

Yesh Din, which opposes the settlement movement and monitors settler violence, said the attacks were staged in 148 Palestinian communities and dwellings across the territory.

During that period, eight Palestinians were shot and killed, and 200 were injured by extremist settlers, the group added.

“Settler violence could be stopped if only there were a real desire on the part of the government and state authorities, but Israel has no motivation to change the situation,” Yesh Din asserted.

“On the contrary, Israel’s policy encourages criminal settlers and leads to the spread of violent farming outposts across the entire West Bank,” it added.

“The map of Palestinian communities where settler violence has occurred clearly illustrates the goal of state-backed violence: expelling Palestinians from their lands and pushing them into small, crowded enclaves.”

The IDF on March 22 diverted a battalion that had been slated to enter Lebanon to the West Bank in an effort to quell the extremist violence against Palestinian civilians.

Nevertheless, settler extremists carried out over 120 further incidents of violence from that date until the end of the Iran war, according to Yesh Din’s data.

The organization’s figures are based on cross-referenced public statements and reports on settler violence from different sources.

The violent incidents have continued since the Iran war ceasefire took effect on April 8, including a number of occurrences in recent days.

On Tuesday, left-wing activists reported that settlers destroyed the only road linking two Palestinian villages in the central West Bank.

Footage from Tuesday evening posted by the Herd of Justice activist group showed the road between Marajam and Duma completely dug up and covered with boulders to prevent vehicles from passing.