Five Israeli settlers were arrested after an attack in Sair, north of Hebron, left an eight-month-old baby with moderate facial and head injuries, Wafa reported. A separate Israeli army raid in Beit Furik left a 17-year-old shot and dozens treated for tear gas inhalation. Three Palestinians were detained in Masafer Yatta amid raids and alleged vandalism, and another man was wounded in a settler attack in Deir Jarir.
Infant Injured, Multiple Palestinians Hurt as Settler Attacks and Israeli Raids Escalate in West Bank
A resident of the Nur Shams refugee camp walks across concrete blocks while carrying belongings retrieved from her home before the Israeli military’s demolition of residential buildings in the camp near Tulkarem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on December 17, 2025 [AFP]
Five Israeli settlers have been arrested after an attack on a Palestinian home in the occupied West Bank wounded an eight-month-old infant, local and Israeli sources said.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported the baby suffered “moderate injuries to the face and head” after what it described as an assault by “a group of armed settlers” throwing stones at homes and property in the town of Sair, north of Hebron.
Israeli police said on Thursday that five settlers were detained after they received reports of “stones being thrown by Israeli civilians toward a Palestinian home.” Authorities said the arrests followed those reports, but provided few additional details.
Related Incidents Across the West Bank
Wafa also reported that a 17-year-old boy was shot and dozens of Palestinians were treated for tear gas inhalation during an Israeli army raid in Beit Furik, east of Nablus. The agency quoted witnesses saying that “Israeli forces carried out a widespread incursion into the town, firing live bullets and tear gas canisters across its neighborhoods.”
In the south of Hebron, Israeli forces detained three Palestinians from the Masafer Yatta area following settler attacks. Residents said troops raided homes and tents, searched and vandalised property, and detained at least one resident during the operation.
Separately, a Palestinian man sustained minor injuries after a settler attack near the entrance to Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah. Local sources said armed settlers attacked homes in the area, and a young man was treated for minor wounds.
Context
Israeli settlements and outposts are Jewish-only communities built on land occupied since 1967. They are widely regarded as illegal under international law. According to the Israeli advocacy group Peace Now, roughly 700,000 settlers live in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
Sources: Wafa (Palestinian news agency) and statements from Israeli police; additional local witness accounts.
