On Sunday, 25 August 2024, at around 5:00 P.M., a settler grazed his flock in an olive grove in the area of ‘Izbet Abu al-Khashab, about 500 meters north of the village of al-Buweib in the South Hebron Hills. The settler approached an agricultural building belonging to Yasser Mhanyah. Another settler, known to residents as Nathan, joined him. He was armed and fired shots in the air. The two settlers pushed Mhanyah into his house and then entered his sheepfold, leading the flock outside. Village residents who arrived at the scene managed to move the flock away from the settlers and toward the village of al-Buweib, a distance of about 500 meters. At this point, another armed settler arrived on a motorcycle and attempted to scare the flock, but the residents managed to return it to the village.
About 15 minutes later, four more settlers arrived, armed with clubs and sticks. They attacked the residents, pepper-sprayed them, and injured four. Residents managed to evacuate only one of the wounded. Shortly afterward, soldiers arrived—some of whom, according to Palestinian residents, were settlers themselves. The soldiers blocked the road between the agricultural buildings and the village of al-Buweib with cars and military jeeps, about 100 meters from village homes.
The soldiers stopped a pickup truck that had come from the direction of al-Buweib to evacuate the wounded. When the wounded, accompanied by other residents, walked toward the soldiers to request permission to evacuate, the soldiers fired live ammunition and rubber-coated metal bullets into the air. The residents initially took shelter but then continued toward the soldiers, who pushed two of them and struck another resident with a rifle in the chest and shoulder. The soldiers detained the residents, took their ID cards and phones, and forced them to sit on the ground.
At this point, dozens of settlers descended on village homes. They vandalized property and loaded stolen items onto tractors, remaining near the buildings. About half an hour later, a police car arrived. After the settlers claimed that three of the residents had attacked them, the police ordered the soldiers to arrest those residents, including one of the injured men. The police instructed the soldiers to return phones and ID cards to the other residents and let them go. Some residents remained about 200 meters away, watching the events unfold. The soldiers did not leave the area until around 8:30 P.M., taking the three detainees with them.
The soldiers took the wounded man to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, where he was hospitalized until 28 August 2024. He was then transferred to the Russian Compound detention center in Jerusalem, where he was held until 4 September 2024. He was released that day after being taken to court with another detainee, who was held at Etzion Prison. Both were released after posting bail. The third detainee was released on 28 August 2024 after posting bail.
After the soldiers left, the three remaining wounded were evacuated to al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron. Two were treated and discharged after several hours. The third, who suffered a fractured skull and a cut on his left ear, underwent surgery and was hospitalized for five days.
The settlers remained near the agricultural structures after the soldiers left. Palestinian residents called the police, who did not arrive until about 11:00 P.M. The officers flew a drone over the settlers and then left without detaining or removing them. The settlers remained for another 30 minutes before heading toward the settlement of Pnei Hever, taking the stolen property with them: a water tank, 10 tons of fodder, 30 tables, and four troughs. The property destroyed by the settlers included lights, furniture, and equipment for preparing dairy products.