• Jerusalem Water Undertaking says settler attacks on water well halt supplies to 19 Palestinian communities east of Ramallah

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL

Illegal Israeli settlers assaulted a Palestinian child in the West Bank on Sunday, and attempted a vehicle ramming attack on several other children, in the latest wave of settler violence in the occupied territory.

The official Wafa news agency said a child sustained bruises and was hospitalized after being attacked by illegal settlers in Khirbet Ragoum in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the southern West Bank.

An illegal settler also attempted to run over a number of Palestinian children in Khirbet al-Halawa in the same area. Settlers also chased other children while herding their sheep in the area, Wafa said.

In the northern city of Nablus, illegal settlers attacked Palestinian farmers while cultivating their land in the town of Aqraba, the agency said. Attackers also hurled stones at a Palestinian house in Douma village, smashing the building’s windows.

Separately, illegal settler attacks on a water well halted water supplies to 19 Palestinian communities east of Ramallah, deepening an already severe shortage and prompting urgent appeals for intervention to restore service.

The Jerusalem Water Undertaking, which serves Ramallah and al-Bireh, said pumping from the Ein Samiya wellfield was temporarily suspended after the illegal settlers assaulted technical crews and blocked access to repair damage to Well No. 6.

The utility company said the attack forced a complete shutdown of pumping, cutting water to more than 19 residential communities. It called for immediate action to allow crews to carry out repairs and resume supply.

The Ein Samiya wells lie on land belonging to the town of Kafr Malik, northeast of Ramallah on the eastern slopes of the West Bank, an area that has faced repeated settler attacks since before Oct. 8, 2023.

More than 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in settlements and outposts across the West Bank, while another 250,000 live in settlements built on land in occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli left-wing group Peace Now.

Settlers have escalated their attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank since the outbreak in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

According to Palestinian figures, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,109 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, injured nearly 11,000, and detained 21,000 since October 2023. Last year alone, at least 14 Palestinians lost their lives.

The International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal in a landmark opinion in July 2024, and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.