The Palestinians are suffering from escalating attacks by both the Israeli military and civilians in the West Bank. 

On Thursday, Israeli forces killed two Palestinian children near Hebron. According to Haaretz, Palestinian sources said they were attempting to throw Molotov cocktails at the IDF. The Israeli military claimed it “eliminated two terrorists.”

Conflict in the West Bank has escalated recently as the IDF and Israeli settlers have stepped up raids and assaults on Palestinians. On Tuesday, dozens of masked Israelis attacked two Israeli towns, setting fires and wounding at least four Palestinians. 

On Thursday, Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the West Bank. “These extremist groups are destroying our lives,” said Ahmad Salem, the imam of the mosque. “Every day, we’re feeling more scared.”

A Palestinian official said the attacks were meant to drive people from their homes. Tel Aviv is in the process of slowly cleansing Palestinians from the West Bank. The Israeli military is conducting raids across the Palestinian territory. The IDF has arrested hundreds of Palestinians in recent weeks, while allowing the violent Israeli settlers to run rampant. 

According to Israel’s Channel 12, Israel has conducted fewer investigations into settler violence over the past two years. In 2024, Tel Aviv only opened 60 investigations, and no Israelis were indicted. Last year, most investigations were closed due to “lack of evidence” or “public interest.”

The decrease in investigations and arrests is not due to an increase in violence, but a lack of interest from Tel Aviv in prosecuting settlers.