In recent years — and especially since 7 October 2023 — there has been a sharp increase in both the number and severity of settler attacks against Palestinians. The incidents reported on this blog do not reflect all incidents of settler violence in the West Bank, but only those that B’Tselem was able to document and investigate.
Kh. al-Marajim, Nablus District: Israeli settlers attacked homes and residents with stones, set fire to houses and a car; soldiers detained residents, assaulted a teenage girl and allowed the settlers to leave without detaining anyone
On Friday, 14 March 2025, at around midnight, approximately 30 settlers arrived at the community of Khirbet al-Marajim, southwest of the village of Duma. The settlers arrived on ATVs, some carrying firearms and others armed with clubs, and brought containers of a flammable substance.
The settlers attacked homes and residents who came out to defend their properties, hurling stones at them. When residents tried to repel the attack by throwing stones, settlers opened live fire. Within about ten minutes, the residents, realizing they were outnumbered, retreated—some back into their homes. The settlers set fire to three houses, broke security cameras and solar panels, and vandalized water tanks and other belongings.
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Light fixtures, a water tank and the security camera destroyed by settlers in Muhammad Msallam’s house. Photo: Salma a-Deb’i, B’Tselem
In one home, after the parents went outside upon learning settlers were nearby, their two children—Musa Msallam, 18 months, and his five-month-old sister Mira—were left alone. Settlers broke into the house, took the children outside, and set the house on fire. When they noticed the father, Muhammad Msallam, and other family members outside, the settlers put the children down about 50 meters from the house and fled. The fire consumed everything in the house.
About half an hour after the attack began, roughly 20 soldiers arrived in four military vehicles. The soldiers allowed the settlers to leave without detaining them.
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Nassim Msallam’s house, torched by settlers. Photo: Avishay Mohar, B’Tselem
When ‘Aref Msallam, 40, returned home with his family from an iftar meal in Talfit, three soldiers stopped them at the entrance to the community. The soldiers ordered Msallam to turn back. When he refused, a soldier forcibly pulled him from the vehicle, threw him to the ground, and ordered him to lie with his hands behind his back. When his daughter Leen, 14, called out for her father, a soldier punched her in the face, causing swelling. The family was detained for about ten minutes before being allowed to continue. Upon arriving home, they discovered the roof was on fire after settlers had torched it.
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An outhouse and water tank in Nassim Msallam’s yard torched by settlers, with the Gal Yosef outpost in the background. Photo: Avishay Mohar, B’Tselem
The attack lasted about half an hour. Settlers burned down two houses and a car, set fire to another house, stole a horse, and vandalized solar panels, windows, doors, and other property.
B’Tselem field researcher Salma a-Deb’i collected testimonies from community residents:
Muhammad Msallam, 25, a father of two:
We left our two children in the room, and my wife and I went outside, but the settlers broke down the door and took the children. We never imagined this would happen; that they’d start a fire; that it would come to this. When they saw my uncles approaching, they put the children down and ran away. But after what? After they destroyed everything. Thank God it ended this way. Since the war broke out, they’ve been attacking us almost every day, and even more since Ramadan started. The army is on their side. Everyone is on their side. Two weeks ago, they vandalized the tires of a tractor parked outside. They come to the sheepfold and spill the animal feed. A few days ago, they vandalized my father’s new car. It’s always like this.
Nassim Msallam, 60, a father of two:
On Friday, 14 March 2025, at about 12:10 A.M., I was alone at home when I heard a commotion outside. I looked through one of the windows and saw about six ATVs and about 15 settlers throwing stones at the house. I stayed in the room and locked its iron door. The sounds outside the room grew louder, sounds of breaking and destruction, banging doors and metal. For several minutes, which felt like an eternity, I didn’t make a sound, afraid of being shot and killed.
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Nassim Msallam in his burned-down house. Photo: Avishay Mohar, B’Tselem
When the noise subsided, I mustered my courage and cautiously opened the door. I saw two burning tires in the middle of the living room and the house was on fire. I got out quickly. They had also set fire to the outhouse. At this point, I didn’t see settlers outside anymore.
I called the Civil Defense in Burin and told them we’d been attacked by settlers and that they set my house on fire. Meanwhile, relatives from Talfit came, and we managed to put out the fire with our hands, as we had no extinguishers. The fire truck took about an hour to arrive, because Burin is far from Kh. al-Marajim. The house was completely destroyed. It had three rooms, a living room, a kitchen and two bathrooms. The fire was so intense that some walls cracked. It was a very old house, built by my grandfather decades ago, on land that belonged to our grandparents and was passed down to us. I also work on this land as a farmer and tend to it, and it’s a source of income for me and my family.
I’ve been sleeping outside, in the open, since. The women are staying with relatives in Talfit.
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A view of the outpost of Gal Yosef from Nassim Msallam’s front entrance. Photo: Avishay Mohar, B’Tselem
Muhammad ‘Aref Msallam, 39, a father of eight:
On Friday, 14 March 2025, we were invited for iftar at my wife’s parents’ house in Talfit. I got back to Kh. al-Marajim around 12:40 A.M. My wife Linda Msallam, 42, was in the car with me as well as our kids: Leen, 14, Majed, 12, Morasi, 11, Sham, 8, Yihya, 6, Haneyeh, 4, ‘Aref, 3, and Raed, 18 months.
On the way, a military vehicle blocked the road, standing across it. There were three soldiers, and they signaled for us to turn back. I told the soldier: “Where am I supposed to go? I’m going to my house.” The soldier told me, “It’s not allowed.” I told him, “My house is over there,” and pointed to the road that leads to my house, which is about 300 meters away.
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A room in Muhammad Msallam’s house after settlers set it on fire. Photo: Avishay Mohar, B’Tselem
The soldier pulled me out of the car, threw me to the ground and said: “Lie on the ground with your hands behind your back.” I lay face down with my hands behind my back.
My daughter Leen screamed and called out to me: “Dad! Dad!”, and then the soldier went over to her and punched her in the face, while she was inside the car. Her face swelled, but she’s better now. All my children cried in panic. We were totally unaware. We were just on our way home, like any family. Ten minutes later, another soldier came up to me and asked for my ID card, and I gave it to him. He told me to go home, and when I asked him, “What about the ID card?” he told me, “gone,” as he put it in his pocket.
I drove home and was shocked to find the roof on fire. I asked my wife and children to stay in the car, because I was worried about their safety, and I put out the fire. I noticed there was damage to the ceiling. They must have tried to get into the house to set it on fire. The roof is made of tin, and the fire there caused damage to the water tank. It had holes in it.
The settlers also broke seven security cameras installed around the house and three solar-powered projectors, set fire to the washing machine in the yard, and it looked like they tried to break the windows but failed. The power was out because of the fire on the roof.
I got back in the car and took my family to my parents’ house for the night, fearing the settlers would return.
