In a new escalation of the ongoing wave of organized attacks in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli settlers—under the protection of occupation forces—set fire to several Palestinian homes on the outskirts of the town of Bruqin, west of Salfit Governorate in the northern West Bank, on the night of Thursday to Friday.
These assaults came after a violent raid on the area, resulting in extensive material damage and revealing a stark failure to protect Palestinian civilians.
Activists and media outlets circulated video footage showing flames engulfing homes and properties in the town, amidst a state of panic and fear among residents, especially women and children, who found themselves facing a direct attack on their basic right to secure housing.
The arson attack coincided with another raid by Israeli occupation forces later that same day, during which large numbers of military vehicles stormed the town, closed internal roads, raided several homes, and conducted arbitrary searches—actions that represent a blatant violation of the sanctity of homes and the basic guarantees afforded to civilians under international humanitarian law.
Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli forces had withdrawn from Bruqin and the neighboring town of Kafr al-Deek after a nine-day military operation, during which a Palestinian youth was killed, dozens were arrested, and several homes were turned into military outposts.
These attacks are part of a broader escalation by both occupation forces and settlers across the West Bank, coinciding with the ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip. This escalation in the West Bank has resulted in at least 969 Palestinian deaths, nearly 7,000 injuries, and the arrest of over 17,000 people since October 7, 2023.
Since that date, Palestinians have been subjected to a multi-pronged military campaign targeting their very existence and daily lives in both Gaza and the West Bank. These systematic policies are marked by collective punishment, excessive use of force, and deliberate disregard for fundamental human rights—particularly the rights to life, physical safety, freedom of movement, and human dignity.
The rise in settler-led arson attacks in the West Bank, the destruction of homes, and mass arrests amount to policies of persecution and organized ethnic cleansing, carried out with complete impunity. This poses a grave threat of further deterioration of the humanitarian and legal situation in the occupied territories, deepening an already decades-long human rights crisis.
