On 31 July, Israeli settler gangs carried out multiple attacks across the occupied West Bank, shooting a 10-year-old child, torching cars, and damaging Palestinian property.Settlers shot the child in the back during an attack on the village of al-Mughayyir near Ramallah. They also targeted Bedouin communities and grazing areas in the Jordan Valley east of Ramallah and near occupied East Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops raided dozens of homes in Asira al-Shamaliya, north of Nablus, detaining dozens of residents inside a house they had turned into an interrogation centre. Four more Palestinians were arrested in separate raids in Nablus.
Israeli forces also stormed Jericho and the market area in Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied East Jerusalem, firing tear gas and stun grenades.
The Israeli army said it deployed troops to Surif, near Hebron, after reports that three Palestinians were wounded in an overnight settler attack. Footage from the village showed masked settlers throwing stones at homes and a burnt-out car.
The military said it found torched vehicles and Hebrew graffiti but claimed the attackers had fled before troops arrived.
Police later said officers entered Surif with military escort to collect evidence, pledging to investigate those responsible.
Veteran Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy has argued that the Israeli government coordinates settler attacks against Palestinian communities. Israeli soldiers frequently accompany settlers during assaults, and many troops serving in the West Bank are settlers themselves.
Settler violence has surged since Itamar Ben Gvir became National Security Minister in 2023 and has intensified further in recent weeks. On 24 July, settlers and Israeli soldiers attacked the village of Tell, killing four Palestinians.
