Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission: 47 families in the West Bank threatened with displacement due to Israeli siege

** Siege and Restrictions

It added that four families have already left the community following incursions by armed settlers into their homes and death threats against their members, noting that the ongoing restrictions hinder the residents' ability to secure basic needs, practice agriculture, and raise livestock.

It added that the closure of roads leading to the community escalated gradually, culminating in the digging of a trench at the last remaining exit in mid-September, which forced residents to secure water at night and leave to meet their needs at dawn for fear of pursuit, detention, and the confiscation of agricultural transport vehicles.

According to the statement, the Commission documented the detention by Israeli forces on September 27 of a tractor belonging to the Atouf Village Council and its driver while transporting livestock fodder. It also documented the arrest of three farmers and the seizure of a truck on October 3, in addition to the searching and photographing of homes and the checking of residents' IDs.

** Demolition of Wells

It pointed out that the pressure extended to water sources, noting that on September 19, it quoted the head of the Atouf and al-Ras al-Ahmar Village Council, Abdullah Bisharat, as saying that Israeli authorities had demolished six artesian wells during the previous month, confiscated pumps, and cut off water lines whenever residents reconnected them.

According to the Commission, settlers gave the 47 families until the evening of the following day on October 10 to evacuate their homes.

It stated that Khirbet al-Ras al-Ahmar is a pastoral and agricultural community located east of the town of Tammun, and its residents rely on sheep farming and cultivating surrounding lands, making access to water, pastures, and roads essential for their survival and livelihoods.

The Commission called for opening the roads leading to Khirbet al-Ras al-Ahmar, ensuring the arrival of water, fodder, and services, protecting residents from threats and attacks, and holding those responsible accountable, warning that the continuation of the siege may push more families to leave and pave the way for the seizure of their lands.

** Similar Precedents

The Commission pointed out that what is happening in the community falls within a pattern of attacks relying on prolonged siege, road closures, disruption of services, and threats, noting similar cases in Jalud and Qusra in Nablus (northern West Bank), Umm Safa in Ramallah (central), and Wadi al-Rakhim south of Hebron (south).

It cited the case of the Mahmoud al-Tubasi family in Jalud, south of Nablus, who it said were forced to leave their home on July 22 after a siege that lasted more than 3 months, involving daily attacks and the burning of the house before settlers seized it.

It also pointed to the siege of three houses in the Ras al-Ain area of Qusra town, south of Nablus, since August 26, and the setting up of a tent by settlers about 50 meters from a citizen's house in Umm Safa, northwest of Ramallah, since July, and the army's siege of it in early October.

In Wadi al-Rakhim in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, the Commission documented on October 8 the continued siege of Yousef Shanaran's house for the third day, preventing his 10-member family from leaving and blocking access to them.

In this context, the Commission stated that it documented about 720 attacks carried out jointly by the Israeli army and settlers during 2025, in addition to 4,723 attacks carried out by settlers.

It added that the toll of attacks since October 7, 2023, reached 14,742, affecting 376 Palestinian villages and communities, resulting in the martyrdom of 67 Palestinians at the hands of settlers, in addition to 1,182 fires being set.

Official data indicates the presence of about 750,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, distributed across 194 settlements and about 400 settlement outposts.