Settler firebombing and 'revenge' graffiti follow deadly West Bank clash

Israeli military forces detained more than 130 Palestinians in weekend raids across the West Bank, following a deadly clash on Friday that killed two Israelis and four Palestinians. This incident marked the deadliest single attack in the West Bank this year and triggered a wave of retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers.

Settlers, some from the Havat Gilad community, remained camped at the site of the shooting near the Palestinian village of Tell. On Sunday, one settler reportedly threatened ABC News personnel, telling them to "leave the area quickly before we shoot you." The violence continued in neighboring villages like Sarra, where settlers used bulldozers to destroy olive trees and set fire to cars and houses.

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leave the area quickly before we shoot you

Ahmad Rawhi Abdallah Turabi described how his home was severely damaged. "We are not armed," he stated. "We don't have weapons, only stones [and] sticks." He added, "They attacked us, they stole the land. We are on our land. He is a settler and wants to own land that doesn't belong to him."

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We are not armed. We don't have weapons, only stones [and] sticks. They attacked us, they stole the land. We are on our land. He is a settler and wants to own land that doesn't belong to him.

A partially constructed mosque in Qusra was also targeted. Qusra Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi told ABC News that the mosque was firebombed and spray-painted with messages including "revenge," "Mosques don't threaten us," and "Israel will be established with blood." Wadi asserted that settler violence has escalated due to support from the Israeli Defense Forces and the government.

The community in Tell mourned the four Palestinians, all from the Ramadan family, killed on Friday. Ahmad Ali Ibrahim Ramadan's son, Imran, was among the deceased. "All [the settlers] want is to kick us out from our country," he told ABC News. "It's an honor for us to die here and be buried here. We will not leave this land. My message is we are not terrorists. They send their terror to us."

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The second [piece of graffiti] is that, 'Mosques don't threaten us.' The third is, 'Israel will be established with blood.'

Accounts of Friday's incident differ. Israelis from the Havat Gilad settlement claim they were hiking when they were attacked.

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The settlers' violence never stopped, but now it has become more aggressive because of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] support and the Israeli government.