- Title: Israeli settler violence rises in West Bank under Iran war curbs
- Date: 11th March 2026
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOUSA HAMAYEL, WHO WAS NEAR THAER WHEN HE WAS SHOT, SAYING: "The settler started to shoot towards us, when they couldn't arrive to this area, because the young men were protecting the houses. Army vehicles, white Toyota vehicles, arrived to the area." AREA WHERE THE SETTLERS ATTACK TOOK PLACE NEAR RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (MARCH 10, 2026) (REUTERS) ISRAELI
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Iran Israel Palestinians West Bank attacks settlers
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- Country: Palestinian Occupied Territory
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA007965601032026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE : SHOT 24 HAS GRAPHIC IMAGES
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 said.
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 teargas fired during an attack, according to Israeli rights group B'Tselem.
Malak Beirat's husband, Thaer, was one of two Palestinians whom residents and the Palestinian health ministry said were shot dead by settlers before dawn on Sunday in Abu Falah, north of the city of Ramallah.
Witnesses told Reuters that when over 100 settlers gathered on the outskirts of Abu Falah, a local WhatsApp group rallied men to protect the small village. The initial confrontation involved stone throwing, but armed settlers arrived later and began shooting, they said.
Beirat's husband was shot dead while trying to protect a house from attack, a man who helped defend the village said.
Blood could still be seen in olive groves at the scene of the attack, where villagers have erected two Palestinian flags at the spots where the two men were killed - one for each victim.
A third Palestinian died after the attack. B'Tselem said his death was probably caused by the effect of teargas fired by Israeli troops deployed to the village during the attack.
The Israeli military said an investigation has been launched into the incident and that it condemns "violence of any kind".
Medics said the new roadblocks have led to delays in reaching injured Palestinians.
There have been over 109 reports of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war with Iran including shootings, physical assaults, property damage, and threats, said Israeli monitoring group Yesh Din.
All the reported killings of Palestinians by settlers this year were in the last week, B'Tselem said.
Settlers shot dead Amir Muhammad Shanaran in a village near the city of Hebron on Saturday.
In a video obtained by Reuters, Shanaran was seen in floor, as an Israeli soldier scream and hold a weapon towards residents.
Reuters confirmed the location of the video from the terrain, road layout, trees and buildings which matched file and satellite imagery of the area. The date when the video was filmed was verified by official reports from the Palestinian Health Ministry, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, and Israeli military that there was an incident in the area on March 7. The Israeli military said the shooter was a reserve soldier.
Palestinians accuse the military of protecting settlers rather than villagers. Israel's military denies this.
Israeli indictments of settler violence are rare. At the end of 2025, Yesh Din said that of the hundreds of cases of settler violence it had documented since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023 that led to the Gaza war, only 2% resulted in indictments.
Right-wing Israeli minister Yossi Dagan announced on Wednesday the establishment of a new settlement in a strategic position in the mountain overlooking Nablus, one of 22 new settlements announced by the Israeli government last May.
Israel's military blocked many West Bank roads with iron gates and mounds of earth on the first day of the war, and has largely shut crossings with Israel.
The Israeli military said the curbs are preemptive measures while it is carrying out airstrikes on Iran and against Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has fired missiles at Israel in solidarity with Tehran.
Palestinians in remote West Bank villages said the roadblocks have left them increasingly exposed to settler violence.
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