In a chilling development, masked Israeli settlers descended upon multiple Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank this week, setting homes ablaze and attacking residents in a violent backlash triggered by the implementation of a ceasefire deal in Gaza. The agreement, which ended the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas, included the release of 90 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons – a move that enraged extremist settler groups.
Night of Terror in Sinjil
Sundus al-Fukaha, 37, was watching the news at home in Sinjil on Saturday evening when she heard commotion outside. Moments later, a Molotov cocktail crashed through her window, igniting the sofa and curtains. Sundus and her daughters, aged 12 and 14, frantically tried to smother the flames.
“Water didn’t work. We managed to put it out with blankets,” Sundus recounted, surveying the damage. “We are eight in this house, all women and children, some elderly or disabled. We’ve had problems with settlers before, but never like this.”
Targeting Prisoner Hometowns
Sinjil was one of at least six Palestinian towns and villages targeted by Israeli settler rioters on Sunday and Monday night. The attackers, many wearing masks, hurled Molotov cocktails and rocks, shattering windows and torching homes and cars. According to health authorities, 21 Palestinians were injured.
The locations appear to have been deliberately chosen as hometowns of some of the prisoners slated for release under the Gaza ceasefire deal. WhatsApp groups used by settler activists shared lists of the prisoners and called for protests against the “terrible injustice.” However, Sinjil residents noted that their released prisoner had been held without charge or trial under administrative detention.
“It’s the Terror They Cause”
“It’s not the damage or expense, it’s the terror they cause that is the problem,” said Rafik Tafeesh, 49, whose truck was burned in the Sinjil attack. “My car had nothing to do with this, but they are thugs. They don’t need an excuse.”
While settler violence has long plagued Area C, the 60% of the West Bank under full Israeli control, attacks have soared since far-right leaders joined the government in 2022. The Israeli army has been documented failing to intervene, and at times even participating.
Impunity Despite Sanctions
In recent months, Western countries began imposing sanctions on individuals implicated in settler violence as well as settlement funders – a rebuke of Israeli political figures who have incited attacks. However, the new US administration under President Trump quickly moved to rescind such sanctions, signaling a decidedly pro-Israel stance reminiscent of his prior term.
Statistics paint a grim picture of impunity: Less than 4% of investigations into settler offenses result in convictions. For Palestinians living in fear, persisting with daily life is an increasing struggle.
“We can’t even cross the road to our olive trees now or they’ll shoot at us,” lamented Mohammed al-Fukaha, 46, whose mother’s home was pelted with rocks. “This is our land, our houses, but they want us gone for good.”
As Gaza regains a tenuous calm, the firestorm unleashed in the West Bank may prove harder to extinguish. For Palestinian villages living under the menacing shadow of extremist outposts, a ceasefire elsewhere provides little solace while the threat at their doorstep only grows more emboldened.
