Seven Palestinians, including an elderly man and two children, were injured on Sunday after Israeli settlers attacked residents in the village of Huwara in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron, while Israeli occupation forces later detained three Palestinian family members, according to local sources.

Residents said a group of Israeli settlers assaulted members of the al-Jabour family while they were on their privately owned land near their home. The settlers reportedly beat family members and sprayed them with pepper spray, sparking panic among the residents.

The attack left seven Palestinians injured, including elderly resident Ibrahim Ismail al-Jabour, as well as two children, Mustafa al-Jabour and Habiba al-Jabour. All of the injured were transferred to Yatta Government Hospital for medical treatment.

Local activist Osama Makhamreh said the violence escalated when Israeli occupation forces arrived at the scene. Rather than intervening to stop the assault, the forces reportedly detained three members of the al-Jabour family, despite the family being the victims of the attack.

Witnesses said the detentions took place while settlers remained in the area, further heightening tensions in the village. The identities of those detained have not been officially released.

The latest assault is part of what Palestinian residents describe as an escalating pattern of settler violence across Masafer Yatta, where nearly 19 Palestinian herding communities have long faced repeated attacks targeting residents, homes, livestock, and agricultural land.

Palestinians in the area say settler assaults frequently occur under the protection or in the presence of Israeli occupation forces, accusing the military of failing to protect civilians and, in many cases, taking action against Palestinians instead of those carrying out the attacks.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly documented an increase in settler violence throughout the occupied West Bank, particularly since the escalation of the Gaza conflict. Palestinian communities report growing incidents of physical assaults, land seizures, destruction of crops, vandalism of property, and restrictions on access to farmland, forcing many families to abandon their livelihoods.

Masafer Yatta has become one of the most contested areas in the occupied West Bank after Israeli authorities declared large parts of the region a military firing zone. Palestinian residents and international rights groups argue that the designation has been used to facilitate displacement and expand Israeli settlement activity, despite widespread international opposition.

The latest attack has renewed Palestinian calls for greater international protection for civilians living in the occupied West Bank and for accountability over what they describe as ongoing settler violence carried out with impunity under the Israeli occupation. (ILKHA)