(Note: This story contains graphic details in paragraphs 1, 3 and 14)
By Ali Sawafta and Pesha Magid
HUMSAH, West Bank, March 20 (Reuters) – Israeli settlers sexually assaulted a Palestinian man – tying his genitalia with zip ties and parading him naked in front of his family – during a mid-March attack, according to the victim and eyewitnesses.
Attacks by masked Jewish settlers, including the burning of cars and homes, beatings, and livestock theft, have become near-daily in the West Bank, according to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territory and rights groups tracking the violence.
Suhaib Abu Kbash, 29, told Reuters that around 80 masked settlers armed with knives and sticks raided the Bedouin community of Humsah on March 13. He said about 20 of them beat him, stripped him, bound his genitals, and dragged him naked in front of his young children.
“I thought they were going to kill me,” he said.
Reuters spoke to three eyewitnesses who corroborated Abu Kbash’s account.
The Israeli military and police said the incident is under investigation. Israeli police told Reuters that seven suspects had been arrested on suspicion of involvement, and that police officers and military personnel were dispatched to Humsah.
“The forces, together with forensic investigators from the district, began conducting searches for suspects and collecting testimonies, evidence, and findings,” the statement said.
“As part of the investigation, which is currently under a court-issued gag order, seven suspects were arrested several days ago on suspicion of involvement in the incident.”
It was not clear whether any suspects have been charged.
The Yesha Council, which represents Jewish settlements, declined to provide a comment on the incident.
Humsah sits between two hills in the Jordan Valley, an area that Israeli rights group B’Tselem has said faces daily settler attacks. The alleged assault on Abu Kbash, including “horrific sexual violence” was part of a pattern of escalating violence, the group’s executive director Yuli Novak told Reuters.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the group’s statement.
Palestinians have long accused the Israeli military of protecting settlers over residents — a charge the military denies.
Abu Kbash said the settlers threatened to rape the women and children in the community if they did not leave. “We will stay here. If we leave, they will take over all this land,” he said.
RISING SETTLER VIOLENCE
Reuters has reported how settler violence has spiked since Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran at the end of February, with Israeli settlers killing at least five Palestinians in that period.
Israeli indictments for settler violence remain rare. At the end of 2025, Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, said that of the hundreds of cases it had documented since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023, only 2% had resulted in indictments.
Abu Kbash said the settlers also stole 400 sheep during the alleged attack, essential to the community’s livelihood. He said he has attempted to file a complaint over the theft with Israeli police without success. Israeli police said they were investigating the alleged assault on Abu Kbash, without mentioning the theft.
Palestinians seek an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
Israeli settlers have rapidly expanded their presence in the West Bank with the backing of Israel’s right-wing government.
Most countries say Israel’s settlement activity in the West Bank violates international law on military occupations. Israel disputes that interpretation.
(Reporting by Pesha Magid, Ali Sawafta, and Torokman Mohammed; Writing by Pesha Magid;Editing by Ros Russell)
Comments