Settlers burn homes and land, attack citizens, near Hebron |

In a serious escalation, a large group of illegal paramilitary settlers attacked Palestinian citizens and their property late Wednesday night and for several hours in different areas of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank.

Media sources reported that armed Israeli settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, injured several citizens, burned two houses in addition to a large area of ​​land, and stole dozens of sheep belonging to local residents in the area of ​​”Khallet al-Dabaa” in Masafer Yatta.

Eyewitnesses told WAFA that, “More than 200 armed settlers, under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces, attacked the homes and properties of citizens in “Khallet al-Dabaa” in Masafer Yatta.”

Sources added that the armed settlers opened fire with live ammunition on citizens' houses, burned a large part of the agricultural lands, attacked the civil defense teams and destroyed the fire truck.

The settlers then burned two houses and broke the windows and doors of several other houses, destroyed several vehicles, in addition to breaking solar energy cells.

In addition, the settlers attacked men, women and children with batons and stones, causing various bruises and injuries, and prevented paramedics from approaching the wounded, while the occupation soldiers watched.

A local resident, Jaber Al-Dababsa, told a WAFA correspondent that: “The occupation forces present on the ground provided protection and assistance to the settlers in their assault on the population, and prevented and obstructed the arrival of fire trucks and ambulances, as well as solidarity activists, in the area.”

Sources added that the settlers stole more than eighty sheep belonging to local Palestinian farmers.

Separately, media sources reported that Israeli forces abducted at least one young Palestinian man, whose identity was not known at the time of writing.

Earlier on Wednesday, settlers threw stones at Palestinian-owned vehicles near the settlement of “Ma’on,” while others cut off the water supply to the neighboring community of “Umm Al-Khair” in Masafer Yatta.

Media sources reported that another group of armed paramilitary settlers threw stones at citizens' vehicles, breaking their windows, near the illegal settlement of “Ma'on”, built on expropriated Palestinian land.

Additionally, in the neighboring community of “Umm Al-Khair” in Masafer Yatta, settlers from the colonial outpost “Shimon” destroyed the water pipe that supplies water to at least thirty houses.