Residents of the West Bank town of Deir Jarir say a raid late on Sunday killed two Palestinians and left a third hospitalised, accusing Israeli settlers of acting in partnership with Israeli security forces. The account is based on residents cited by the Guardian; Israeli authorities' response was not included in the available source.
Key facts
- Residents say two Palestinians were shot dead in a raid on Deir Jarir late on Sunday night.
- Residents say a third person was hospitalised with a gunshot wound.
- Residents say settlers from a nearby outpost arrived after 9pm claiming to search for stolen livestock.
- Palestinians say Israeli soldiers and police joined the settlers and protected them as they tried to take villagers' sheep by force.
- Residents describe the raid as part of a wider pattern of settler violence.
- An Israeli military, police or settler account of the incident was not included in the available source.
Two Palestinians were shot dead and another was left in hospital with a gunshot wound after a raid on the West Bank town of Deir Jarir late on Sunday night, according to residents cited by the Guardian. Residents described the raid as extreme even by the standards of settler violence in the region.
Palestinians in the town said settlers from a nearby outpost arrived after 9pm on Sunday, claiming they were searching for stolen livestock. According to residents cited by the Guardian, Israeli soldiers and police soon joined the settlers.
Residents said the security forces protected the settlers as they sought to take several villagers’ sheep by force. That account underpins the accusation, voiced by Palestinians quoted in the report, that settlers are operating “in partnership with the army.”
Residents framed the events not as an isolated incident but as part of an ongoing pattern of violence affecting their community, the Guardian reported.
The account is based on Palestinian residents. The available source did not include a response from the Israeli military, police or the settlers named, and did not detail official confirmation of the casualties or the identities of those killed.
Why it matters
Violence in the occupied West Bank has been a persistent flashpoint. Accounts of settlers acting alongside security forces feature prominently in the wider conflict and in international scrutiny of conditions in the territory. As reported here, the claims come from residents and have not been matched with an official Israeli account in the available source.
Frequently asked questions
What happened in Deir Jarir?
According to the Guardian, a raid late on Sunday night killed two Palestinians and left another in hospital with a gunshot wound.
Who did residents say carried out the raid?
Residents said settlers from a nearby outpost arrived claiming to search for stolen livestock, and that Israeli soldiers and police soon joined and protected them.
Why did the settlers say they came to the town?
Palestinians said the settlers claimed they were searching for stolen livestock and sought to take several villagers' sheep by force.