Israeli settlers carried out an attack on Monday against Palestinian homes in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, throwing stones at residences and defacing a mosque with racist graffiti, according to local media reports.

Eyewitnesses and local sources said that settlers from the nearby Beit Ein settlement, built on Palestinian-owned land, targeted homes in the Safa area on the outskirts of Beit Ummar. The attackers reportedly operated under the protection of Israeli occupation forces stationed in the area.

Residents said the settlers threw stones at homes, causing damage and fear among civilians, and spray-painted racist, anti-Arab slogans on the walls of the Safa Mosque, further escalating tensions in the area.

Beit Ummar has repeatedly been subjected to settler violence and military raids, particularly in areas adjacent to illegal Israeli settlements built on Palestinian land. These incidents have included attacks on homes, agricultural lands, and property, as well as efforts to restrict Palestinian farmers’ access to their own fields.

Local residents say such attacks have become increasingly frequent and occur with little to no accountability, contributing to a climate of fear and instability in the town and surrounding villages.

The incident comes amid a broader escalation in settler violence across the occupied West Bank, which has intensified alongside the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian communities report a rise in attacks on civilians, homes, and farmland, often during or in coordination with Israeli military operations.

Human rights groups have warned that the expansion of settlement activity and increasing settler raids are further deepening tensions and worsening conditions for Palestinians living under occupation.

Palestinians say the simultaneous escalation in Gaza and the West Bank reflects a wider pattern of violence that has led to hundreds of deaths and injuries, along with extensive damage to infrastructure and private property.

Local voices and activists continue to call for international intervention and accountability measures to protect Palestinian civilians and prevent further attacks. They argue that ongoing settler violence, combined with military protection, undermines prospects for stability and peace in the region. (ILKHA)