Israeli settler extremists carried out arson attacks on two Palestinian villages in the West Bank overnight Tuesday-Wednesday, including on several chicken coops adjacent to a home that has reportedly been under daily harassment by a group of settlers, which the family was reportedly forced to abandon later Wednesday.
The two attacks took place in Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, and in Jalud, near Nablus. The IDF later confirmed both attacks, neither of which was reported to have resulted in injuries, and no arrests were made.
In Turmus Ayya, residents reported an arson attack on homes in the village.
Shortly afterward, Israeli troops and Border Police officers arrived on the scene, with the army saying that “subsequently, a violent confrontation developed involving stone-throwing between Palestinians and Israeli civilians who arrived in the area.”
The IDF said troops used riot dispersal means and fired warning shots in the air amid the clash.
In Jalud, settlers set fire to several agricultural structures, including chicken coops, near the home of a Palestinian family on the outskirts of the village, which is located near several Israeli settlements and illegal outposts.
عاجل| مسـ.tـوطنون يحرقون أراضٍ زراعية خلال اقتحامهم محيط بلدة ترمسعيا شمال رام الله. pic.twitter.com/EZ6nojJOmK
— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) July 21, 2026
“Israeli citizens tried to set fire to chicken coops,” the military said later Wednesday, adding that troops and Border Police officers were dispatched to the area, but the suspects fled before the forces arrived.
The forces assisted with extinguishing the fire, and no injuries were reported, the army added.
Earlier this week, Haaretz reported that the Tobasi family had been effectively trapped for the past two weeks after two settler outposts were established nearby. A family member said the settlers had threatened to cut off their electricity.
On Wednesday, Raad Nasser, head of the Jalud village council, told The Times of Israel that the Tobasi family left their home on Wednesday afternoon, seemingly acceding to the days of settler harassment aimed at forcing the family to abandon their home.
مستوطنون يرقصون أمام منزل محمود الطوباسي في جالود جنوب نابلس، بعد نجاحهم في تهجير العائلة من منزلها، إثر حصار وضغوطات ومضايقات بدأت منذ شهر نيسان/أبريل الماضي وتصاعدت في الأيام الأخيرة pic.twitter.com/U6iXjykDFE
— Ultra Palestine – الترا فلسطين (@palestineultra) July 22, 2026
Palestinian media published footage showing settlers walking around the property’s yard, apparently after the family had already left.
Jalud has faced numerous settler attacks this summer, including the burning of homes, damage to vehicles and the uprooting of trees.
Journalists blocked from site
Hours before, Haaretz reported that Border Police officers had blocked two of its journalists from accessing Jalud, despite the fact that they had received clearance to visit the site and had been escorted by troops into the village.
According to the left-wing paper, Border Police officers had been escorting the two journalists, West Bank correspondent Matan Golan and photographer Itai Ron, to the village to document the settler harassment of the Tobasi home, but they encountered a roadblock erected by settlers.
After intervention from the settlers, who reportedly persuaded the Israeli officers not to allow the two journalists to visit the site, the two were told that the area was now a “closed military zone,” and that they could not access the home in question.
According to the report, the journalists were told that the reasoning behind the decision to block their visit was to “prevent friction,” even though their visit was approved in the first place, and that it was only stopped after intervention from the settlers. Border Police did not immediately comment on the Haaretz report.
More than 2,200 Palestinians have been displaced this year due to settler violence or access restrictions, while hundreds more have been displaced due to home demolitions by Israeli authorities, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general, citing the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said last month.
Critics have accused the government and law enforcement of turning a blind eye to violent attacks by settler extremists, which have become increasingly deadly in recent years and occur on a near-daily basis. Arrests are rare and prosecutions are even less common.
The military recorded 867 incidents of nationalistic crime and settler violence in 2025, up from 682 incidents in 2024.
Source:
www.timesofisrael.com
