Masked settlers entered a Palestinian home in As Samu’, southern West Bank, killing three sheep, wounding four and sending three children under four to hospital after reported gas exposure, Palestinian officials said. Israeli police arrested five suspects on suspicion of trespassing, property damage and using pepper spray and are investigating. The attack is part of a recent surge in settler violence documented by the U.N., and comes as Israel’s defense minister briefly suggested re-establishing Gaza settlements before his office downplayed the comments.
Masked Settlers Raid West Bank Home in As Samu’, Kill Sheep and Send Children to Hospital
A Palestinian boy shows one of the sheep that was injured during an Israeli settlers attack in the town of As Samu', near the West Bank city of Hebron, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Masked Israeli settlers forced their way into a Palestinian home in the town of As Samu’ in the southern West Bank overnight, killed three sheep, injured four more and sent three children under the age of four to hospital after exposure to gas, Palestinian officials said Tuesday. The incident is the latest in what Palestinian authorities and U.N. figures describe as a surge in settler violence across the occupied territory.
Details of the Attack
Young Palestinians walk next sheeps that were killed during an Israeli settlers attack in the town of As Samu', near the West Bank city of Hebron, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Amir Dawood, who heads an office documenting such incidents for the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, said the assailants smashed a door and a window, fired gas inside the house and struck animals in the family’s stable. Palestinian-released CCTV footage shows five masked figures in dark clothing approaching and apparently entering the home; another clip appears to show men striking sheep inside the stable.
Police Response
Wafaa Rabie, 30, shows the door of her house that was damaged during an Israeli settlers attack in the town of As Samu', near the West Bank city of Hebron, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Israeli police said five suspects were arrested on suspicion of trespassing on Palestinian land, damaging property and dispensing pepper spray. Police said they are investigating and did not use the term "tear gas" when describing the incident, creating a discrepancy with the Palestinian account.
Aftermath
An Israeli settlers outpost is seen on area next to the town of As Samu', near the West Bank city of Hebron, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Photos provided by the Palestinian commission show a shattered front door, smashed car windows and dead, bloodied sheep in the yard. Dawood said this was the second attack on the same family in less than two months and characterized it as part of "a systematic and ongoing pattern of settler violence targeting Palestinian civilians, their property and their means of livelihood, carried out with impunity under the protection of the Israeli occupation."
Wider Context
Young Palestinians show some of the sheeps that were killed during an Israeli settlers attack in the town of As Samu', near the West Bank city of Hebron, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The violence comes amid a spike in incidents during the recent olive harvest season. The United Nations humanitarian office reported that settlers launched an average of eight attacks per day in October — the highest daily rate it has recorded since it began collecting data in 2006 — and documented at least 136 incidents by Nov. 24.
Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 war; the West Bank and east Jerusalem now include more than 700,000 Israeli settlers combined, according to widely cited figures, while Palestinians seek those areas for a future state.
Related Political Developments
Separately on Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said at a West Bank conference that Israel would re-establish settlements in northern Gaza "with God’s help," comments he later downplayed. Katz’s office said the remark was made "in a security context" and reiterated that Israel has no intention to establish settlements in Gaza. A U.S. official warned that provocative statements could undermine diplomatic efforts and urged adherence to the terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan, which calls for a near-total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and contains no provision to rebuild settlements.
