Israeli Forces Deploy to West Bank as 2026 Settler Attacks Reach 3,488 Amid Current Wars in the World

Israeli forces are deploying additional troops to the occupied West Bank as settler attacks on Palestinian communities continue, with at least 25 Palestinians killed by settlers so far in 2026 amid 3,488 recorded attacks in the context of current wars in the world. [1] Israel’s army is set to deploy further troops to the occupied West Bank amid continued settler violence that has seen them loot property in Masafer Yatta, and three Palestinians wounded by Israeli fire south of Hebron. [1]

Troop Deployment to West Bank

Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir ordered the elevation of readiness of an additional division headquarters and preparations for immediate deployment of units to reinforce forces ahead of the Jewish holiday season. [1] He stated that amid the upcoming Jewish holiday season, he is “ordering the elevation of readiness of an additional division headquarters in order to reinforce the forces in the area.” [1] “In addition, preparations must be made for the immediate deployment of units and battalions to reinforce the area," he added. [1] The deployment of additional troops to the occupied West Bank comes amid continued settler attacks across the area. [1]

Recent Settler Attacks on Palestinian Property

Settlers were filmed looting belongings from a Palestinian home in Masafer Yatta south of Hebron and loading them onto an ATV, with Israeli forces arresting a Palestinian who confronted them. [1] Footage from Wednesday showed settlers loading the belongings onto an ATV, which looks similar to the ones issued to settlers in illegal outposts by the government last year, and then driving off. [1] Israeli forces reportedly arrested a Palestinian who confronted the settlers after arriving at the scene. [1] In a separate incident near Jenin, settlers broke into a Palestinian home under construction, smashing tiles and stealing water and electricity motors. [1]

Jewish activists stand with West Bank Palestinians against settler violence in Masafer Yatta. — Source: france24

Palestinian Casualties from Israeli Fire

Two Palestinian women and a teenage girl were wounded by Israeli fire during a raid in Al-Karmel south of Hebron where forces stormed homes and turned them into military outposts. [1] The incident occurred as Israeli forces were raiding the town, storming homes and turning them into military outposts, the outlet said. [1] Israel to return body of Palestinian child held for over 9 months. [4] 15-year-old Jadallah Jihad Jumaa Jadallah was shot and killed during Israeli raid on Al-Fara’a refugee camp in November 2025. [4]

Scale of Settler Violence in 2026

Settler violence has killed 61 Palestinians since October 2023 and 87 since 2019; 26 Bedouins have been displaced and 42 new settler outposts built in the first half of 2026. [2] Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank have killed at least 25 Palestinians since the start of 2026, a Palestinian government agency has said. [2] The Palestinian Authority’s Commission against the Wall and Settlements revealed that settlers had carried out 3,488 attacks in the West Bank during the first half of this year. [2] In the same time frame, the organisation said at least 26 Bedouins have been completely or partially displaced, while 42 new settler outposts have been built. [2] The group further stated that the latest figures bring the toll of Palestinians killed by settlers to 61 since October 2023, and 87 since 2019. [2] The latest developments come as 45 US Democratic lawmakers called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to curb what they described as a “significant surge” of Jewish settler violence in the occupied West Bank. [2] The lawmakers penned a letter addressing Netanyahu, demanding that the Israeli government issue clear instructions to the police and military to prevent and stop violent confrontations, “regardless of who the perpetrators are”. [2] They also demanded that the government increase and carry out proper investigations into the deaths of nine Palestinian-Americans, who they highlighted were killed by Israeli settlers or forces in the West Bank since 2022. [2] Earlier this month, Israeli settlers killed a 17-year-old Palestinian teenager in the West Bank in a village north of Hebron. [2] The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the teenager as Karim Sanad Raja Shalaldeh. [2] Despite international criticism, Netanyahu has vowed to keep establishing settlements in the West Bank, promising a major wave of colonisation. [2] Last week, key European leaders condemned a major settlement project after Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes in the area. [2] Netanyahu's government, which contains ministers who openly call for the territory's annexation, is advancing more construction ahead of the 27 October elections. [2]

Israeli Activists Countering Settler Violence

A small group of Israeli Jewish activists from Bnei Avraham have confronted settlers in the West Bank to protect Palestinian homes, resulting in activists being attacked with stones, pepper spray and sticks. [3] Ziva Sharp said her Jewish faith motivated her to travel from Jerusalem to the West Bank to stand up for Palestinians – a commitment that led to her being set upon by fellow Israelis also professing to be driven by Judaism. [3] Sharp and around 30 other activists are part of a small movement of Israelis, many of them religious Jews, who periodically go to the occupied West Bank with a mission to protect Palestinians under growing assault by violent settlers. [3] On Tuesday, at least five of the activists were injured as settlers violently expelled them, throwing stones, unleashing pepper spray and injuring this AFP journalist, who was hit in the chin with a stick. [3] Sharp said she joined the movement to "practice my commitment to my Judaism, which is humanistic and not violent", and to "decrease, to the extent that we can, the damage the Jewish people do to the Palestinians". [3] She said her inspiration came from Jewish religious texts. [3] "We are supposed to be part of tzelem elokim (the image of God), and to follow God's ways, and God's ways are pity, compassion and justice." [3] The activists travelled to Jannatah, near Bethlehem, to build a protective fence around the home of the Faraj family, who have come under pressure from Jewish extremists. [3] A member of the Palestinian family, Mohammed Faraj, was killed in clashes with settlers in March, and several relatives were wounded. [3] Nobody has been arrested over the killing, his brother Hassan told AFP. [3] The activists went to clear road obstacles blocking the Faraj family after settlers put up a prefabricated home on the family's private land. [3] The activists and accompanying journalists returned to find their cars vandalised, with windows smashed and tyres punctured. [3] After activists went to confront the settlers, two cars full of settler reinforcements – many of them young and wearing dark hoodies – rushed in to attack the visitors. [3] According to the activists, the settlers' outpost, dubbed Kochav Yehuda, has been dismantled 64 times by Israeli authorities and rebuilt each time, most recently on Monday, the day before the activists' visit. [3] Avishai Liss, 26, who grew up in a religious Zionist community in northern Israel, has been active with Bnei Avraham for more than a year. [3] "I feel as a Jewish person, as a Zionist, that what's happening now in the West Bank is not Jewish. And it's definitely not moral. And that's why I come here, to help the Palestinian people, to defend their houses from the violent settlers," he told AFP. [3] He said his activism had strained his relationships within his own community but that he believed Judaism came in many forms. [3] "You can be a Fascist Jew, like them ... and think that all your Judaism is about conquering land and trees and destroying and using violence," he said. [3] "My Judaism is to love the creation that God has created." [3] Dror Nadel, 27, grew up in an ultra-Orthodox community outside Tel Aviv but left the fold as a teenager and became secular. [3] He said his ultra-Orthodox upbringing had shaped his "socialist" outlook, as his father had followed the Jewish commandment to give charity to the poor. [3] The Jewish way of thinking "helped me to analyse the conflict and what I wanted to do, and how I want to be involved in this conflict in a different way", he said. [3] "I think religion is a really dangerous thing," Nadel said. [3] "It's a really beautiful thing, but it can lead you in really wrong directions." [3] "This is why we need to study our religion and to research it, even in the 21st century, to see what we got wrong and how we can fix it." [3]

Israeli forces deploy additional troops to the occupied West Bank amid rising settler attacks. — Source: anadolu

International and Political Context

Settler attacks in the occupied West Bank have increasingly drawn sharp condemnation from Western states, which have also condemned Israel’s expansion of illegal settlements. [1] Additional sanctions against illegal settlements are being pondered by the European Union, while the UK is drawing up plans to strengthen its own sanctions regime. [1] The Palestinian Authority’s Commission against the Wall and Settlements warned against growing settler violence in the occupied West Bank. [2] Israeli settler violence has grown since 2023. [2] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government is advancing more settlement construction ahead of October 27 elections. [3] Violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers has increased dramatically since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas from the Gaza Strip. [3] More than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, and which is home to around three million Palestinians. [3]

What to watch next: Netanyahu has vowed to keep establishing settlements in the West Bank, promising a major wave of colonisation, while the European Union ponders additional sanctions against illegal settlements and the UK draws up plans to strengthen its own sanctions regime.