Israeli settlers force more Palestinian families from West Bank village, displacing over 1,000 in a week

Illegal Israeli settlers forced Palestinian families to leave their homes in the village of al-Auja, north of Jericho in the eastern occupied West Bank, on Saturday, marking the full displacement of the Shalal al-Auja community. According to local sources, the last remaining families were warned by settlers to vacate the Wadi Abu al-Hayyat area, following a week of intensified pressure that has now emptied the community.

Systematic Displacement and Harassment

Hassan Malihat, general supervisor of the rights group Al-Baidar, told Anadolu that approximately 121 families—around 1,000 people—have been displaced from Shalal al-Auja over the past week due to systematic harassment, physical assaults, livestock theft, tent burnings, confiscation of agricultural equipment, grazing restrictions, and water supply cuts by Israeli settlers and soldiers. Displaced families have relocated to areas south of al-Auja, including al-Jiftlik and Fasayil, and are living in what Malihat described as “tragic conditions.”

Context of Escalating Violence

Al-Auja Spring, a key water source and summer destination for Palestinians in the Jordan Valley, lies at the center of the targeted community. Palestinian documentation indicates that since October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,110 Palestinians and injured nearly 11,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements.