RAMALLAH (Dispatches) – Jewish settlers, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, carried out a series of attacks on Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, including the poisoning of livestock, destruction of property, and arbitrary detentions, local sources reported.
In Al-Mughayyir, near Ramallah, settlers poisoned a flock of sheep owned by Palestinian farmer Rizq Abu Naim, killing three animals. The attack follows a pattern of settler violence targeting the village, including car arson, theft of agricultural equipment, and the grazing of livestock on Palestinian lands to destroy livelihoods. 
Last month, Israeli settlers were documented slaughtering sheep in Al-Samu near Hebron (Al-Khalil), gouging their eyes and beating them with sticks, in acts reminiscent of pre-state Zionist operations such as “Cast Thy Bread” that poisoned wells in Palestinian villages.
Meanwhile, in Iraq Burin south of Nablus, Israeli soldiers and settlers razed dozens of dunams of Palestinian land, uprooting more than 200 trees and destroying water networks and retaining walls. Residents Fathi Ahed Faqih, Omar Talal Qaddous, and Ahmed Muhammad Qaddous were among those directly affected.
The Israeli military also conducted widespread raids in the Al-Khalil governorate. In Zatara, east of Bethlehem, soldiers beat two Palestinian brothers, Baha, 33, and Issa, 32, in their home. In Beit Ummar, over 30 Palestinians were detained for several hours, held in the yard of a local brick factory, in a pattern of intimidation linked to the killing of two Palestinians near the Gush Etzion settlement on 19 November.
Human rights observers note a sharp increase in killings during such raids. On Thursday, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian teenagers – Sami Ibrahim Mashaikha, 16, and Amr Khaled Al-Marboua, 18 – in Kfar Aqab, Ramallah. Soldiers reportedly opened fire from rooftops and streets as part of a coordinated operation.
Reports indicate that the surge in settler violence has been encouraged by Israel’s so-called security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has reportedly supplied settlers with record numbers of weapons since taking office in December 2022, further fueling efforts to forcibly displace Palestinians and annex their lands.
Observers and international media warn that Israel’s ongoing military occupation and settler operations are part of a broader strategy to expel Palestinians, undermine their communities, and seize territory with impunity, even as global attention remains focused on Gaza.