A Palestinian man says Israeli settlers sexually assaulted him in front of his family
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Israeli settlers sexually assaulted a Palestinian man – tying up his zip holes and exposing him naked in front of his family – during a mid-March attack in the West Bank, according to a victim and eyewitnesses.
Attacks on masked Jewish residents, including the burning of cars and homes, beatings and the theft of livestock, are nearing daily in the West Bank, according to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied zone and rights groups monitoring the violence.
Shaib Abu Kbash, 29, told Reuters that about 80 masked people armed with knives and sticks raided the Bedouin community in Humsah on March 13. He said about 20 of them beat him, stripped him, bound his private parts and dragged him naked in front of his children.
“I thought they were going to kill me,” he said.
Reuters spoke to three eyewitnesses who confirmed Abu Kbash’s account.
The Israeli military and police said the incident was under investigation. Israeli police told Reuters that seven suspects had been arrested on suspicion of involvement, and that police and soldiers had been sent to Humsah.
With the fragile Israeli-Hamas ceasefire, violence has erupted among Palestinian residents in the West Bank, which human rights groups say the Israeli government is turning a blind eye to.
It was not clear whether any of the suspects have been arrested.
The Yesha Council, which represents Jewish settlements, declined to comment.
Humsah sits between two hills in the Jordan Valley, an area that the Israeli rights group B’Tselem said faces daily attacks from settlers. The alleged assault on Abu Kbash was part of an escalation of violence, group director Yuli Novak told Reuters.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the group’s statement.
Resident violence broke out
Palestinians have long accused the Israeli army of protecting settlers over settlers – a charge the army denies.
Abu Kbash said the immigrants threatened to rape women and children in the community if they did not leave. “We will stay here and if we leave, they will eat this whole land,” he said.
Reuters reported how settler violence has increased since Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran at the end of February, during which Israeli settlers killed at least five Palestinians. Israeli charges of settler violence remain rare. At the end of 2025, Yesh Din, another Israeli rights group, said that of the hundreds of cases they have documented since the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, only two percent have resulted in charges.
Abu Kbash said the settlers stole 400 sheep during the attack which are suspected to be important to public health. He said he had tried to lodge a complaint with the Israeli police for theft but failed. Israeli police said they were investigating the alleged beating of Abu Kbash, without commenting on the theft.
The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
Israeli settlers quickly expanded their presence in the West Bank with the support of the right-wing Israeli government.
Many countries say Israel’s settlement activity in the West Bank violates international law on military occupation. Israel disputes that interpretation.
