Hebron: A Palestinian sustained wounds in an attack by Israeli colonists in Masafer Yatta, south of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening as the victim, identified as Umran Ismail Nawajaa, was assaulted by colonists, leading to head injuries that required hospitalization.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the assailants originated from the Suseya colony. In addition to attacking Nawajaa, colonists were reported to have grazed their livestock on Palestinians' cultivated lands in Khirbet al-Qawawis, chased shepherds, and assaulted their sheep in Wadi Ma'in.
Masafer Yatta, comprising 19 hamlets, is located in Area C of the West Bank, under full Israeli administrative and military control. The community relies heavily on animal husbandry for their livelihood and has faced continuous Israeli violations, including attacks by settlers and soldiers targeting their livestock. The area has been designated a closed Israeli military zone for training, known as Firing Zone 918, since the 1980s.
Israeli violations in the area often involve the demolition of animal barns, homes, and residential structures. Local Palestinians face challenges as Israel rarely issues construction permits. Violence by colonists against Palestinians and their property is a routine occurrence in the West Bank and is seldom prosecuted by Israeli authorities. Such violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, and attacks on homes.
Approximately 1 million Israeli colonists reside in colonies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in violation of international law.