West Bank settlement expansion triggers wave of settler attacks and Palestinian injuries

The Israeli cabinet ratified a plan to establish 13 new settlements in the West Bank, intensifying a settlement boom that rose from an average of eight new outposts per year in the 2010s to 86 in 2025. Simultaneously, a surge of settler‑led violence erupted across the occupied territories. In the Jerusalem‑area village of al‑Tebna, settlers attacked residents, using a motorcycle to run over civilians and deploying pepper spray, while Israeli forces intervened to protect the attackers and detained four Palestinians. In the village of Yirza east of Tuba, seven Palestinians were beaten; two were taken to hospital. Further assaults occurred in Idna west of Hebron, where three Palestinians were injured by metal‑coated bullets and sound bombs. Additional incidents included the burning of a restaurant in al‑Laban al‑Sharqi south of Nablus, the torching of homes in Am al‑Tut (Jenin) and Dair Jareer (Ramallah), and the use of loudspeakers and tear‑gas by Israeli troops during raids in several towns. The violence resulted in at least 12 Palestinians wounded, one 16‑year‑old child killed in the Qalandiya camp, and dozens of arrests. Israeli forces also established a new military post near Kriisa to tighten control over civilian movement.