Israeli settlers reportedly assaulted a minor on Tuesday afternoon while grazing livestock near Palestinian homes in the southern West Bank.

According to Palestinian media outlets, the assault occurred in Huwara, part of the Masafer Yatta collection of hamlets near Hebron.

The minor received treatment in the field for bruises, according to Palestinian outlets, which reported that another local man — described as elderly — was arrested by Israeli troops accompanying the settlers.

A photo of the arrest, published by Palestinian outlets, showed the man seated in the field with three soldiers in full gear standing in front of him.

Earlier footage published by the outlets showed a group of people, reportedly settlers, walking with a few head of livestock adjacent to some of the structures that make up Huwara, which is itself surrounded by open spaces.

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Other footage from Huwara, published by activist Palestinian outlet Eye on Palestine, showed two Palestinians in a shouting match with at least two armed people, apparently settlers, wearing what appeared to be partial IDF uniforms.

قوات الاحتلال تعتقل المسن عادل الحمامدة في مسافر يطا، بعد قيام مستوطنين بإطلاق مواشيهم قرب مساكن المواطنين في منطقة حوارة pic.twitter.com/Tabgka8FNO

— القسطل الإخباري (@AlQastalps) February 3, 2026

During the argument, one of the settlers cocked a standard-issue IDF assault rifle, pointing it in the air, and the other settler cocked a pistol, aiming it at the Palestinians.

Armed settlers attack the residence of Huwara village in Masafer Yatta, southern Hebron. pic.twitter.com/XwVegW74nM

— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) February 3, 2026

The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

#فيديو| مستوطنون بحماية قوات الاحتلال يطلقون مواشيهم بمحيط المنازل ويحتجزون مسنًا، داخل منطقة حوارة في مسافر يطا، جنوب الخليل pic.twitter.com/SvXlxuukg6

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) February 3, 2026

In another incident Tuesday, Bedouin rights group al-Bidar reported three families fled the livestock-based community of Tel al-Samadi, north of Jericho, due to settler harassment including theft, arson, vandalism, and the prevention of grazing.

Palestinian media said the families left after settlers set their homes on fire earlier. Footage from the area showed one of the tents on fire.

تغطية صحفية| مستوطنون يحرقون منازل ويهجرون ثلاث عائلات في تل الصمادي pic.twitter.com/PxAMQGjnKq

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) February 3, 2026

Settler attacks have been taking place across the West Bank on a near-daily basis, with almost complete impunity.

Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror onslaught, there has been a major surge in attacks by settler extremists on Palestinians and their property across the West Bank. The IDF recorded over 750 incidents of Jewish nationalistic crime and settler violence in 2025, while the total for 2024 was 675 incidents.

Also Tuesday, the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry reported a man was killed and three wounded by IDF gunfire in Jericho.

The military said that a Palestinian who hurled stones at troops was shot dead in the city.

According to the IDF, several Palestinians threw stones at the soldiers during a raid in Jericho.

“The troops responded with gunfire, killing one of the terrorists and wounding several other terrorists,” the army said, adding that no soldiers were hurt.

The slain Palestinian was identified by the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry as Said al-Sheikh, 24. The ministry said three others were also wounded by IDF fire in the incident.

Palestinian media reported al-Sheikh was hit by a bullet in the stomach as locals clashed with Israeli forces in various parts of Jericho. He reportedly succumbed to his wounds at the Nablus Governmental Hospital, where footage published by Arabic media showed his family mourning him.

الصحة: استشهاد الشاب سعيد نائل سعيد الشيخ (٢٤ عاماً) برصاص الاحتلال في أريحا، وإصابة ٣ آخرين بجروح متفاوتة. pic.twitter.com/dTnYksfxt5

— palgraph (@palestine_graph) February 3, 2026

Separately, a West Bank Palestinian illegally residing in Israel, who is suspected of involvement in terror activities, was arrested earlier this week, police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the suspect, in his 20s, from the Balata camp near Nablus, was nabbed by detectives of the Kfar Qasim station in central Israel.

He is suspected of building explosive devices and of other “acts of terror” against Israeli soldiers, police said, adding that he was handed over to the Shin Bet domestic security agency for interrogation.

MKs advance bill for civil control over West Bank antiquities

Meanwhile, the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee on Tuesday advanced a controversial bill to establish a civilian body to manage antiquities in the West Bank.

The bill seeks to create a Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority that would take over the responsibilities that currently lie with the Defense Ministry. The person responsible for the file now is a staff officer of the Archaeology Unit of the Civil Administration, a branch of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is in charge of civilian affairs in the territory.


MKs Zvi Sukkot, Michal Woldiger and Keti Shitrit lead a joint meeting of the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee, in Jerusalem, January 26, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Given its sensitive nature, and at the Justice Ministry’s request ahead of the vote, the bill will return to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation for discussion. Then it will need to be reapproved by the education committee before the first vote on the bill in Knesset.

If passed into law, it would mark the first time the Knesset exercises direct power over expropriation and acquisition of land in the West Bank, as well as additional enforcement powers, which would also apply to Palestinian residents, according to committee legal adviser Tami Sela.

“[The bill] raises concern that the bill will be perceived as a step advancing de facto annexation, and de facto application of Israeli law in Judea and Samaria, without a comprehensive examination of the issue,” she said ahead of the vote.

Seven MKs voted in favor of the bill, while five opposed it.

“Jewish history is found less on Dizengoff Street [in Tel Aviv] and more in Shiloh,” said Committee Chairman MK Zvi Sukkot of the far-right Religious Zionism party. “Antiquities are being destroyed and disappearing from under our hands almost daily, and we want to put things in order.”


The archaeological site of Sebastia in the West Bank, in a handout photo issued on November 20, 2025. (COGAT)

The European Union condemned the vote.

“The proposed Israeli bill to transfer control over the management of archaeological sites & antiquities in the occupied West Bank to an Israeli civilian authority raises serious concerns, including with regards to the possible violation of international law,” the EU Delegation to the Palestinians wrote on X.

Under the Oslo Accords, Israel’s involvement in West Bank antiquities is only supposed to extend to Area C, the 60 percent of the West Bank where it maintains civil and military control, while Area A and B are under the civilian control of the Palestinian Authority (in the case of Area A, the PA also maintains control over security affairs).

Under prevailing interpretations of international law, even in Area C, Israel is permitted only to conduct salvage excavations and operations to preserve antiquities and archaeological sites, rather than to initiate academic digs or site development.

Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.