Israeli settler violence rises in West Bank under war curbs
• Six Palestinians killed since US-Israel attack on Iran; over 100 incidents reported
• Armed settler militias with army’s support open fire on residents
• Roadblocks delay ambulances, leave villages exposed to attacks
ABU FALAH: Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are taking advantage of curbs on movement imposed during the war on Iran to attack Palestinians, with military roadblocks preventing ambulances reaching victims quickly, rights groups and medics say.
Settlers have killed at least five Palestinians in the West Bank since the United States and Israel began airstrikes against Iran on February 28, according to the Palestinian health ministry. A sixth man died after inhaling tear gas fired during an attack, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
On the first day of the war, Israel’s military blocked many West Bank roads with iron gates and earth mounds and largely shut crossings with Israel.
The military says the restrictions are pre-emptive security measures while it conducts airstrikes on Iran and against Hezbollah, which has fired missiles at Israel in support of Tehran.
Palestinians in remote villages say the roadblocks have left them more vulnerable to settler violence.
The military has also continued raids in Palestinian towns to arrest suspects, often without charge, residents say.
A spokesperson for the Yesha Council, which represents Jewish settlements, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the attacks.
Pre-dawn attack
Malak Beirat’s husband, Thaer, was one of two Palestinians residents and the Palestinian health ministry say were shot dead by settlers before dawn Sunday in Abu Falah, north of Ramallah.
“Thaer loved life. I never expected he would die,” Beirat said, holding back tears as she sat with her two children.
Witnesses told Reuters that more than 100 settlers gathered on the village’s outskirts, prompting a local WhatsApp group to rally men to defend it. The initial clash involved stone throwing, but witnesses said armed settlers later arrived and opened fire.
A man involved in the defence said Thaer was shot while trying to protect a house.
Blood remained visible Monday in nearby olive groves, where villagers raised two Palestinian flags marking where the two men were killed.
A third Palestinian died after the attack. B’Tselem said tear gas fired by Israeli troops deployed during the incident likely caused his death.
The Israeli military said it has opened an investigation and condemns “violence of any kind”.
Taking advantage of the war
Medics say new roadblocks are delaying ambulances reaching injured Palestinians. Ahmed Jibril of the Palestinian Red Crescent said crews face obstacles and even attacks by settlers and the military.
Israeli monitoring group Yesh Din reports more than 109 incidents of settler violence in the West Bank since the start of the war with Iran, including shootings, assaults, property damage and threats. B’Tselem said all settler killings of Palestinians this year occurred in the past week.
Palestinian officials said settlers shot dead Amir Muhammad Shanaran near Hebron on Saturday, and brothers Muhammad and Fahim Azem in Qaryut near Nablus last Monday. B’Tselem said armed settler groups, often backed by the army, are attacking Palestinian communities to drive them out.
Yesh Din said settlers wore Israeli army uniforms in three shootings. He added that by the end of 2025 only 2 per cent of hundreds of documented settler violence cases since October 2023 led to indictments. The military said the cases are under investigation and denies protecting settlers.
Settlement expansion
The United Nations says nearly 700 Palestinians were displaced by settler violence between early 2025 and February 2026.
Israel has expanded settlement construction in the West Bank, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying the push aims to undermine the prospect of a Palestinian state. Israeli minister Yossi Dagan also announced a new settlement overlooking Nablus, part of 22 new settlements revealed in May 2025.
Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. A 2024 European Union report says more than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank among over 3 million Palestinians.
Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, a view Israel disputes.
Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2026