Published: 01:01 PM, 07 April 2026
West Bank dwellers blame Israeli settlers for organized terrorism
"This assault wasn't just meant to burn the houses but also to kill - to kill women and children," says Barhan Omar, standing in the charred ruins of his family's large villa, which Israeli settlers attacked on Friday.
"They came in big numbers. This was organized terrorism," he tells me, fighting back tears. "What's terrifying is that you're sitting in your house with your children, then suddenly you come under fire" reports BBC.
The Palestinian bank manager says settlers shot at his home in Deir al-Hatab, near Nablus, as well as setting it alight, and that he and his children escaped only by hiding on their roof.
Across the occupied West Bank, there has been a new spate of settler violence in recent days. During the rampage in Deir al-Hatab, at least 10 people were injured - mostly by thrown stones, with one man shot in the foot.
This is a village that has not previously experienced such a major attack, unlike other parts of the West Bank.
It followed the funeral of a young Israeli, Yehuda Sherman, at the nearby settlement of Elon Moreh, which was attended by hundreds of mourners and several leading Israeli politicians.
The 18-year-old was killed when his all-terrain vehicle was reportedly hit by a Palestinian in a pick-up truck near the outpost where he lived. Settlers believe he was attacked, while Palestinians insist it was an accident.
Already there had been a new surge in attacks by extremist settlers since the start of the Iran war. While world attention has been diverted to new regional conflicts, six Palestinians have been killed by settlers, the UN says.
In another shocking incident two weeks ago, residents of Khirbet Humsa in the northern Jordan Valley accused settlers of sexually assaulting a man and beating others as they ordered them off the land. Israeli police have since made seven arrests.
It follows a trend seen during the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023; there was a sharp acceleration in settler violence and settlement growth fast-tracked by the Israeli government. Last year set a record for the most extensive expansion of settlements and planning approvals since the UN began its monitoring.
