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More than 100 Israeli settlers launched a violent assault on a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank on Monday night, setting fire to two homes belonging to the al-Tubasi family and preventing them from returning to properties that had been seized weeks earlier, according to witnesses and Israeli military statements.
The attack in Jalud, a village south of Nablus, saw settlers also turn on Israeli security forces who had been escorting the family back to their homes under a High Court ruling. Mahmoud al-Tubasi, 60, who was returning with his wife Aida, 51, and their 33-year-old son Wael, described the night as "extremely terrifying, beyond words."
"It's hard to imagine the situation," al-Tubasi told the BBC. "My feeling now is that I am happy to have escaped death. I genuinely expected they were going to kill us."
The family had been forced out of their homes this summer following weeks of harassment and attacks by extremist settlers who established an illegal outpost near Jalud and besieged three houses, including two belonging to the al-Tubasis' married sons, who have young daughters.
The return attempt came after Israel's High Court ruled earlier this month that the family must be allowed to go back. Al-Tubasi said he received a call around midnight informing him that coordination had been arranged with the Israeli military for the family to reclaim their property. He was told to go immediately with the army and Israeli border police.
By torchlight, the family inspected one of their homes and discovered extensive damage. Video shared with the BBC showed that settlers had smashed holes through doors, torn out electrical fittings, ripped up tiles, broken windows, and left rubbish scattered throughout the property. The toilet had been destroyed and appeared to be filled with human waste.
A large number of settlers descended on Jalud after alerts circulated in WhatsApp groups used to coordinate their actions, warning that the Palestinian family they had previously forced out was returning and should be stopped.
"As soon as we entered the house, which had already been completely destroyed, settlers started throwing stones at us," al-Tubasi recounted. "The army responded by firing tear gas at them, but there were so many settlers, more than 150, that the army could no longer control them."
The grandfather described how a group of Israeli soldiers formed a protective barrier around his family, using pepper spray to push back settlers who attempted to approach them. Settlers slashed the tires of a military van the family was placed in, forcing their transfer to an armored military vehicle.
As the family was driven away from the scene, settlers set fire to their car and both of their houses. Video footage captured from a distance showed smoke billowing from the burning structures.
Al-Tubasi acknowledged that Israeli security forces "essentially formed a barrier, took us out safely and got us away from there. But they did not take any action against the settlers themselves."
An Israel Defense Forces statement confirmed that "more than 100 Israeli rioters were present in the village, blocking roads, setting tires on fire, and throwing stones at security forces." The military reported that three police officers sustained light injuries and a security forces vehicle was damaged.
The IDF described the Tubasi family as victims of a "nationalist crime" and stated that "due to the violence, the mission to return the family to their home was not completed."
The head of the local council in Jalud told reporters that residents had confronted the settlers, leading to clashes that spread to a nearby village, where a Palestinian woman was assaulted by settlers and her house set ablaze.
One month ago, Aida al-Tubasi was attacked by masked Israeli settlers and injured along with American journalists who were interviewing her in Jalud, underscoring the persistent danger faced by the family and those documenting their situation.
The High Court decision, which criticized Israeli authorities for failing to crack down on settler violence, had ruled that the family should be safely returned home by 20 September — more than a week before Monday's raid. The legal ruling was strongly worded, describing Israeli settlers' actions as "a completely unacceptable phenomenon that stands in contrast to the basic values" of the country.
Human rights groups say the events in Jalud demonstrate how Israeli authorities are failing to take effective action against settler violence, despite court orders and military acknowledgments that the family were victims of a crime. The discrepancy between legal rulings and their enforcement highlights what critics describe as a culture of impunity surrounding settler attacks in the occupied territory.
Israel's prime minister called on law enforcement authorities to prosecute those he called "rioters," though similar calls in the past have rarely resulted in significant consequences for settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians.
The al-Tubasi family now faces the prospect of having no homes to return to, with both houses destroyed by fire and their vehicle also burned. The court-ordered return that was supposed to take place more than a week ago remains unfulfilled, leaving the family displaced and uncertain about their future.
The events in Jalud reflect a broader pattern of escalating settler violence across the West Bank, where Palestinian communities frequently report attacks that they say are designed to force them off their land. Israeli security forces often find themselves caught between enforcing court orders and confronting large groups of settlers, as was the case Monday night when more than 100 rioters overwhelmed their ability to maintain control.
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