A Palestinian man was killed, and another critically injured as Israeli settlers launched an overnight attack on the village of Jit in the northern occupied West Bank. The settlers, some masked, set fire to houses and cars, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Palestinian health ministry identified the deceased as 22-year-old Rashid Sedda, attributing his death to gunfire from the settlers. They condemned the incident as an act of “organized state terrorism.” The IDF reported that one settler was arrested and is investigating the fatality.
The violence marks another escalation in a series of attacks by extremist settlers in the West Bank, which has seen heightened tensions since the deadly October 7th Hamas attack on Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza. Israel, which has built around 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967, disputes the international consensus that these settlements are illegal under international law.
Footage shared on social media showed cars and houses ablaze in Jit after the rampage. Residents described a terrifying scene, with settlers armed and outnumbering the villagers. Ibrahim al-Seda, a local resident, recounted how the settlers set vehicles on fire and then began shooting, forcing the villagers to flee. The IDF stated that its forces arrived shortly after the violence began but did not intervene extensively.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident, vowing to prosecute those responsible. The United States also issued a condemnation, urging Israeli authorities to protect all communities and hold perpetrators accountable. However, Palestinian analysts remain skeptical, viewing such condemnations as largely performative, with little action taken against the settlers.
The UN recently reported that since October 7th, there have been around 1,250 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, with over 590 Palestinians killed in related incidents, mostly by Israeli forces. The violence continues to exacerbate the already fraught situation in the region.
