HEBRON, May 13, 2025 (WAFA) – Israeli colonists on Tuesday assaulted Palestinian shepherds in At-Tawani village in Masafer Yatta, south of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, according to a local source.

Mohammad Rab‘i, head of the At-Tawani Village Council, said that dozens of colonists, under military protection, attempted to assault the villagers, and some of them chased shepherds in the vicinity of the Havat Maon colony before the occupation forces stormed the village.

There was no immediate information on any casualties.

Masafer Yatta is a collection of almost 19 hamlets that rely heavily on animal husbandry as the main source of livelihood.

Located in Area C of the West Bank, under full Israeli administrative and military control, the area has been subjected to repeated Israeli violations by colonists and soldiers targeting their main source of living - livestock.

It has been designated as a closed Israeli military zone for training since the 1980s and accordingly referred to as Firing Zone 918.

Israeli violations against the area include demolition of animal barns, homes, and residential structures. The issuance of construction permits by Israel to local Palestinians in the area is non-existent.

Colonists’ violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

Colonists’ violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, and attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.

Approximately 1 million Israeli colonists are living in colonies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law.

K.F.