NABLUS, August 1, 2026 (WAFA) – The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Colonization said in a report issued on Saturday that the recent massacres committed by Israeli colonists in the occupied West Bank reveal a dangerous escalation in colonist terrorism, which has evolved into an organized policy carried out in coordination with the Israeli occupation army and under explicit backing from the Israeli government to forcibly displace Palestinians and seize their land.
According to the report, the massacre in the town of Tell, in the Nablus governorate, on July 24, preceded by the massacres in the town of Qaryut, also in the Nablus governorate, in March, and in the villages of al-Mughayyir and Deir Jarir, both in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, demonstrates that this escalating violence has evolved beyond isolated attacks and become part of an integrated system.
According to the report, the massacre in the town of Tell, in the Nablus governorate, on July 24, preceded by the massacre in the town of Qaryut, also in the Nablus governorate, in March, the series of crimes in the village of al-Mughayyir, in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, and, most recently, the massacre in the village of Deir Jarir, also in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, have shed further light on the nature of this escalating terrorism, which is no longer merely a series of isolated attacks but has become part of an integrated system.
The report said that, according to Israeli authorities’ claims, the Tell massacre began with a “hiking” march by groups of colonists on the outskirts of the town, located in Area B, before escalating into the killing of several Palestinians after Israeli occupation forces readily resorted to opening fire under the pretext of protecting the march, in a development that underscored the extent of field coordination between colonists and occupation forces.
The report added that this horrific massacre was followed by Israeli reactions ranging from calls to erase the town from existence to directives by the Israeli defense minister to prepare for an expansion of offensive military operations in the West Bank, reflecting the extent of official incitement and providing clear political and military cover for such crimes.
The report stressed that these massacres, along with other acts of colonial terrorism extending from the Jordan Valley to Masafer Yatta, are part of a coordinated policy between colonists and the Israeli occupation army, carried out under explicit government backing. It noted that colonist violence has intensified since the beginning of this year, evolving into organized practices that are aligned with the policies of the occupation forces and the Israeli Civil Administration.
The report said that this alignment receives explicit backing from the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly from far-right ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Defense Minister Israel Katz, as part of a calculated division of roles designed to advance the colonial project.
The report explained that one of the clearest manifestations of this alignment is the provision of political cover for colonist attacks, alongside direct and indirect military protection through the intervention of Israeli occupation forces to facilitate these attacks or suppress Palestinians defending their land. It also pointed to the expansion of territorial control through attacks launched from colonial outposts, which are used as an unofficial tool of pressure to forcibly displace Palestinian communities, particularly pastoral and agricultural communities.
The report emphasized that the lack of accountability remains a central pillar of this policy, as perpetrators continue to enjoy widespread impunity, emboldening further attacks and escalation.
The report noted that numerous international and human rights reports have documented an unprecedented escalation in colonist violence across the West Bank, affirming that it constitutes a systematic policy officially supported by Israeli authorities, aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians and seizing their land.
The report said that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) documented more than 1,330 colonist attacks across the West Bank since the beginning of 2026. These attacks included the burning of homes and mosques, the vandalism of agricultural facilities, and the destruction of water networks serving entire villages and communities. The report added that escalating waves of violence forced many families, pastoral communities, and Bedouin communities to flee their lands due to the coercive environment imposed by colonists with the backing of the Israeli occupation army.
The report added that Amnesty International has also issued extensive reports documenting cases of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing targeting entire Palestinian communities in the West Bank as a result of colonist violence. The organization further documented direct financial support provided by ministers in the Israeli government, including Bezalel Smotrich, as well as the distribution of equipment and four-wheel-drive vehicles to colonists in illegal and unauthorized outposts to facilitate their attacks.
The report noted that Amnesty International has repeatedly stated that colonists enjoy near-total impunity and face a lack of accountability under what the organization has described as an apartheid system prevailing in the West Bank.
In a related context, the report explained that colonist terrorism has had widespread and devastating impacts, particularly on pastoral and Bedouin communities throughout the West Bank, especially in Dhahr al-Jabal (Shafa al-Ghor), Masafer Yatta, and the northern Jordan Valley, where these attacks seek to undermine the Palestinian presence and force residents to leave.
The report noted that these attacks are not limited to extremist groups such as the “Hilltop Youth” and “Price Tag,” but also involve “Hagmar” regional units, which are composed largely of colonists serving in the Israeli military reserves and have been significantly expanded since October 2023.
The report also said that the Israeli government has distributed thousands of firearms to “civilian security” squads in colonies, including weapons personally handed out by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on several occasions, contributing to the escalation of violence.
The report stressed that no soldier from these units responsible for the killing of Palestinians in the West Bank has been arrested since at least 2017, while more than 93 percent of investigation files into colonist attacks have been closed without indictments, underscoring a longstanding policy of impunity.
The report noted that the United Nations has documented more than 1,330 colonist attacks since the beginning of 2026, reflecting the scale and severity of the ongoing escalation.
In a related context, the report noted that, on the day the Tell massacre took place, Israeli civil society organizations issued an urgent appeal to the international community, calling for immediate action to halt Israeli violence and prevent massacres committed by colonist militias and the Israeli army in the West Bank.
The appeal stated that recent days had witnessed a dangerous escalation in violence by colonist militias across the West Bank, carried out with the support and funding of the Israeli army, including the burning and destruction of Palestinian property, the forced displacement of residents, and the imposition of a coercive reality threatening their continued presence.
The report warned that the continuation of these policies, amid the absence of international accountability, signals the risk of further escalation and could pave the way for broader massacres against Palestinian civilians, particularly in rural and Bedouin communities that continue to face direct and systematic targeting.
T.R.
