A disturbing video has surfaced on social media platforms capturing Israeli settlers storming the Ibrahimi Mosque with tools used for their Torah rituals in Hebron located in the occupied West Bank.
According to the reports, the incident occurred shortly after the Israeli army closed the mosque early in the morning on Saturday, August 31, preventing Muslim worshippers from entering.
The viral footage shows a group of settlers entering the mosque with pulpits, which are typically used for their religious practices. The Ibrahimi Mosque is a site of deep religious importance and has been a focal point of conflict, particularly since the Israeli government constructed colonies for Jews in the West Bank.
It is pertinent to mention here that, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are illegal under international law, according to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Israeli settler violence
In a separate incident that occurred in the town of Sa’ir in Hebron in the West Bank, a group of illegal Israeli settlers launched a violent attack on a Palestinian residential area in the early morning.
According to reports from the Wafa news agency, during the assault, the settlers stole approximately 300 sheep belonging to local Palestinians.
Ahmed al-Shalaldeh, a resident of nearby Jurat al-Khail village, was quoted by Wafa stating that settlers, some in military uniforms, assaulted Palestinian residents during the incident. “The violent group confiscated the phones of residents, destroyed residential caravans, damaged water tanks, and then proceeded to steal the sheep,” Al-Khail added.
Following another brutal attack by Israeli settlers on a Palestinian village in the West Bank, EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell plans to propose sanctions against those who facilitate such violence.
Taking to an X-platform, Borrell strongly commended the targeted violence against Palestinians and described the attacks as the action of “terrorising Palestinian civilians”.
According to the reports of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), between 7 October 2023 and 5 August 2024, 1,143 attacks were recorded by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, of which 114 led to Palestinian fatalities and injuries, 964 led to damage to Palestinian property, and 127 led to both casualties and property damage.
