Colonizer Assaults and Seizures Sweep Hebron, Jordan Valley

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Illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers launched coordinated assaults across multiple areas of the occupied West Bank, on Thursday, detaining residents, seizing buildings, attacking communities, and destroying agricultural property in the South Hebron Hills, eastern Hebron, and the northern Jordan Valley, all under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.

Why it matters

The attacks by Israeli settlers are part of a broader pattern of violence and land seizures in the occupied West Bank, which have escalated in recent years. These incidents highlight the ongoing struggle between Palestinian residents and the expanding Israeli settler movement, which is backed by the Israeli government and military.

The details

In Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, activist Osama Makhamra said that colonizers disguised in Israeli military uniforms stormed Khirbet Saddat ath-Tha'ala, where they detained numerous residents, beat and abused them, and abducted Mohammad Hammad Makhamra. The colonizers also attempted to steal livestock belonging to families in Maghayir al-'Abeed, Asfi, and Wadi al-Jawaya, after chasing shepherds and attacking homes. In Khirbet at-Tiwani, another group of colonizers broke and uprooted several olive trees owned by Nasser Abu 'Obeid, while releasing their livestock into Palestinian agricultural fields and around residential areas, causing extensive crop damage. Later in the day, colonizers seized two multi‑unit residential buildings in the Jabal Jales area east of Hebron, raising the Israeli flag and installing the Star of David. In the northern Jordan Valley, dozens of colonizers attacked Palestinian residents in Hammamat al-Maleh.

• On Thursday, February 20, 2026, the coordinated attacks by Israeli settlers took place across the occupied West Bank.

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