Israeli Settlers Torch Palestinian Homes in West Bank Raid, Blocking Court-Ordered Family Return

More than 100 Israeli settlers launched a violent raid 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 accounts from the family and the Israeli military.

The attack in Jalud, a village south of Nablus, unfolded as the family attempted to reclaim their homes under the protection of Israeli security forces, following a ruling earlier this month by Israel's High Court that they must be allowed to return. Instead of completing the mission, the operation ended with the family fleeing for their lives as their houses and car were engulfed in flames.

Mahmoud al-Tubasi, 60, described the ordeal as beyond comprehension. Speaking to the BBC, he said he genuinely believed the settlers intended to kill him and his family. "It was extremely terrifying, beyond words," he recounted. "My feeling now is that I am happy to have escaped death."

The family had been forced to leave Jalud this summer after weeks of harassment and attacks by extremist settlers who established an illegal outpost near the village. Three houses were besieged, including two belonging to the al-Tubasis' married sons, who have young daughters. The family's departure marked the culmination of a sustained campaign of intimidation.

Al-Tubasi received a call around midnight informing him that coordination had been arranged with the Israeli military for his family to return. An official message instructed him to go immediately with the army and Israeli border police if he wished to reclaim his property. He was accompanied by his wife Aida, 51, and their 33-year-old son, Wael.

By torchlight, the family inspected one of the homes and discovered extensive damage already inflicted by settlers. A video shared with the BBC revealed that doors had been smashed with holes punched through them, electrical fittings torn out, tiles ripped up, and windows broken. Rubbish was scattered throughout the property, and the toilet had been destroyed and appeared to be filled with human waste.

The situation escalated rapidly as a large number of extremist settlers descended on Jalud after alerts circulated in WhatsApp groups used to coordinate such actions. The messages warned that the Palestinian family they had previously driven out was returning and should be stopped. What followed was a violent confrontation that overwhelmed Israeli forces on the scene.

"As soon as we entered the house, which had already been completely destroyed, settlers started throwing stones at us," al-Tubasi told the BBC. "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."

Al-Tubasi said a group of Israeli soldiers formed a protective barrier around his family, using pepper spray to push back settlers who attempted to approach them. The settlers retaliated by slashing the tyres of a military van the family had been placed in, forcing their transfer to an armoured military vehicle. As the family was driven away, the settlers set fire to their car and both of their houses. Video footage captured from a distance showed thick smoke billowing from the burning structures.

The grandfather acknowledged that Israeli security forces ultimately escorted his family to safety but criticised them for failing to take action against the settlers themselves. "They essentially formed a barrier, took us out safely and got us away from there," he said. "But they did not take any action against the settlers themselves."

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the scale of the violence in a statement, saying that more than 100 Israeli rioters were present in the village, blocking roads, setting tyres 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.

In its statement, the IDF described the al-Tubasi family as victims of a "nationalist crime" and acknowledged that "due to the violence, the mission to return the family to their home was not completed." The admission underscored the gap between the court's directive and the reality on the ground, where settler violence has repeatedly thwarted efforts to enforce legal rulings.

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. In that adjacent community, a Palestinian woman was assaulted by settlers and her house was set ablaze, according to the council official.

The violence followed a pattern of escalating attacks against the al-Tubasi family. One month ago, Aida al-Tubasi was attacked by masked Israeli settlers and injured, along with American journalists who were interviewing her in Jalud at the time. The assault on a woman and foreign media personnel highlighted the dangerous environment facing both Palestinians and reporters covering settler activity in the region.

The High Court ruling, issued earlier this month, was strongly worded and criticised Israeli authorities for failing to crack down on settler violence. The court described the settlers' actions as "a completely unacceptable phenomenon that stands in contrast to the basic values" of the state. It ordered that the family be safely returned home by 20 September, a deadline that passed more than a week before Monday's raid.

Human rights groups say the events in Jalud illustrate a broader failure by Israeli authorities to take effective action against settler violence. Despite court orders, military escorts, and public commitments to uphold the law, settlers continue to operate with what critics describe as impunity, particularly in communities where illegal outposts have been established with the tacit support of some government officials.

Israel's prime minister called on law enforcement authorities to prosecute those he referred to as "rioters," according to the source material. However, the gap between political statements and enforcement on the ground remains a central concern for those monitoring the situation. The al-Tubasi family, meanwhile, remains displaced, their homes reduced to charred ruins, and their court-ordered return thwarted by the very violence the legal system sought to address.

The events in Jalud underscore the fragile security environment in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian families often find themselves caught between settler expansion, military operations, and a legal system whose rulings are difficult to enforce. For the al-Tubasis, the promise of justice through Israel's High Court proved insufficient against the reality of more than 100 settlers determined to prevent their return.