Settlers wound 3 Palestinians, torch cars in latest West Bank attack; 3 arrested
Footage from assault in Nablus shows at least a dozen masked assailants hurling stones, kicking bent-over man and beating him with a club
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Three Israelis were arrested after settlers wounded three Palestinians and set fire to cars near Nablus in the northern West Bank on Thursday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and Israeli security forces.
However, footage from the attack showed at least a dozen people taking part in the attack at the al-Junaida dairy factory in the village of Deir Sharaf, and the mayor of nearby Beit Lid said it took Israeli security forces over an hour to disperse the attackers.
In a joint statement, the IDF and Israel Police said two Palestinians were hospitalized in moderate condition as a result of the attack. The Red Crescent reported three men, aged 48, 50 and 65, were hospitalized after being severely beaten.
According to WAFA, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, the 65-year-old suffered a broken arm and the other two men suffered bruises to their bodies.
Security camera video showed at least a dozen masked individuals in hoodies outside a shed, hurling stones and attacking a man who was on his knees.
The man took blows to his back and face from at least four people who kicked him and two who beat him with clubs, until he fell over while the attackers fled.
תיעוד נוסף וקשה מדיר שרף מוקדם יותר היום: הפורעים מכים – באלות, בידיים, ברגליים – פלסטיני על הרצפה. כאמור שלושה פלסטינים נפצעו באירוע בסך הכול pic.twitter.com/5jWnlz6cA1
— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) January 8, 2026
The IDF and police said they arrested three suspects at the entrance to the nearby settlement of Shavei Shomron after receiving a report that “extremists” in the area set fire to four cars and assaulted Palestinians, including one who was inside one of the cars.
The suspects were taken for questioning at the Ariel police station, the joint statement said, adding that the IDF, Border Police and the Shin Bet were still searching the area and investigating the incident.
Security forces said they condemn violence of any kind and would continue to act to maintain public order and security in the area.
Hussein Hammadi, mayor of the Palestinian village of Beit Lid near where the incident took place, told AFP that the settlers attacked the main road passing near his village.
“Three cars were set on fire. A deaf person was seriously injured, and there were injuries caused by tear gas,” Hammadi said.
#عاجل | إصابتان وإحراق مركبات على يد المستوطنين خلال هجومهم على مصنع الجنيدي ومحيطه قرب قرية دير شرف، شمال غرب #نابلس. pic.twitter.com/vnEuouRuDs
— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) January 8, 2026
The whole incident lasted over an hour before Israeli forces dispersed the assailants with tear gas, Hammadi said.
“We demand that the security and law-enforcement authorities bring this violent handful to justice”, said Yossi Dagan, president of the northern West Bank Settlements Council, in a statement.
In November 2025, dozens of Israeli settlers had attacked the same area, vandalizing Palestinian property and injuring 10 Palestinians. Israeli forces arrested four suspects at the time.
Settler attacks on Palestinians and their property have soared in the two years since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the war in Gaza.
The IDF has recorded more than 750 incidents of nationalistic crime and settler violence in 2025, up from 675 incidents in 2024. While arrests in such cases are rare, indictments and convictions are even less common.
AFP and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.