A disturbing incident of violence unfolded in the occupied West Bank on Thursday when an armed Israeli settler, who also serves as a reserve soldier in the Israeli military, intentionally drove a vehicle over a Palestinian man engaged in prayer. The attack occurred on the roadside in the village of Deir Jarir, near Ramallah, and was captured in video footage that subsequently circulated online.
Medical sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that the unnamed Palestinian victim sustained significant injuries and bruising, necessitating immediate hospitalization. In a separate but related development, the Israeli army issued a statement acknowledging it had received a report concerning a shooting incident perpetrated by an Israeli citizen—identified as the same reserve soldier involved in the vehicular assault. The soldier was reportedly dressed in civilian attire during these events.
The army’s investigation concluded that the shooting, which Israeli Army Radio reported targeted two Palestinians, represented a ‘gross violation of his authority.’ Consequently, the soldier’s weapon was confiscated, and his military service was terminated due to the extreme severity of his actions. This case is not isolated. On the same day, further acts of violence were reported across the West Bank.
In Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, activist Osama Makhamra reported that armed settlers wearing military uniforms detained and abused several residents before handing two brothers, Ibrahim and Abd Mahmoud al-Adra, over to the military, who subsequently arrested them. Simultaneously, during a military raid in Beit Furik, near Nablus, a 17-year-old boy was shot with live ammunition, and numerous other Palestinians suffered tear gas-induced suffocation.
This pattern of settler-led violence against Palestinians, often occurring with impunity and under the protection of Israeli forces, has persisted for years. However, observers note a significant escalation since the onset of the war in Gaza, with a particular intensity during the ongoing olive harvest season. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture recently quantified this aggression, reporting the destruction of 8,000 trees in the past week alone, causing an estimated $7 million in material losses. The devastation extended to critical agricultural infrastructure, including 13 demolished water wells, sabotaged irrigation networks, stolen pumps, and 82 destroyed beehives, alongside cases of livestock abuse. Over the past two years, such violence has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 Palestinians, including 217 minors.