More than 100 Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and soldiers in the West Bank when the military tried to return a Palestinian family to their home months after they were forced out following a long campaign of violence.
The clashes overnight Monday occurred as the Israeli military and police have been accused of failing to protect Palestinians in the occupied territory, with a surge of settler attacks resulting in few arrests.
In the latest outburst of violence, the settlers set fire to Palestinian homes and wounded three Israeli border police officers when the soldiers tried to return the family, the Toubassis, to their home in the village of Jalud, north of the city of Ramallah, the military said in a statement. Three people were arrested, according to the Israeli police, who said in a statement that they had opened an investigation into the attack.
The family were forced to leave their home in July after repeated settler attacks on the property. In August, the Israeli military said in a statement that it had created a closed zone in the area to prevent nonresidents from entering. But Palestinians documented Israeli soldiers standing by as settlers went in and out of the Toubassi house or even playing ball with them in the yard.
The Supreme Court this month ordered the military to ensure the safe return of the Toubassi family after settlers took over their home. Under international law, the military is responsible for maintaining law and order and protecting Palestinians living in the West Bank because Israel is an occupying power, a principle that is recognized by Israeli courts. The military said that the soldiers filmed playing with the settlers had been removed from combat duty, according to the Supreme Court decision.
Overnight, after the family had returned to the property, a group of settlers set fire to a vehicle at the house and threw stones at the building, according to Mahmoud Toubassi, one of the family members. The military evacuated the family about an hour after they had returned when settlers moved to set the house alight, Mr. Toubassi added.
“Without the army, we would have not been able to leave,” he said.
The military said in a statement that it had been unable to return the family to their home because of the violence.
Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has soared, according to U.N. data, especially since the start of the Gaza war, which was ignited by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. So far in 2026, at least 23 Palestinians have been killed in incidents linked to clashes with settlers, according to the U.N. humanitarian office.
International pressure on Israel to rein in settler attacks has grown in recent weeks. This month, Britain, Canada and France banned trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Most of the international community considers the settlements to be illegal.
In recent months, settlers have besieged Palestinian families in their homes or forced them out, including in Jalud and in neighboring villages. The violence has been widely condemned, including by Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, who this month called settlers who attacked Palestinians “terrorists.”
In a statement released by his office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel condemned the violence targeting the Toubassis. He added that “the handful of rioters are not representative of the law-abiding settler public in Judea and Samaria,” using the biblical name of the West Bank.
Last week, Mr. Netanyahu said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly that settler violence against Palestinians was down to 150 “juvenile delinquents.” But Israeli former security officials and human rights groups say that the problem is far broader. A group of prominent Israelis, including more than three dozen retired army and air force generals, has accused the Netanyahu government of failing to check what they termed “Jewish terrorism.”
Instead of being able to sleep in their own beds after Israeli troops escorted them back home, the Toubassis watched as their home was attacked again.
“It broke my heart to see the fire eating up the house,” Mr. Toubassi said.
Gabby Sobelman contributed reporting from Rehovot, Israel.
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