Daijiworld Media Network - Ramallah

Ramallah, Jul 19: In a brutal pre-dawn assault on Friday, Israeli settlers reportedly slaughtered over 100 sheep and stole hundreds more from Bedouin families in al-Miteh, located in the Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank, forcing two Palestinian families to flee their homes.

The victims, part of the Kaabneh clan, have been repeatedly targeted in a campaign locals describe as a systematic attempt to drive them off their ancestral lands. “They came at night, opened the sheep pens, and stole around 350 sheep,” said Mahmoud Kaabneh, a displaced resident. “When we tried to stop them, Israeli soldiers attacked us instead. Twenty of our men were beaten and arrested.”

Kaabneh said settlers returned early Friday and slaughtered dozens of sheep. “Some were killed with knives, others beaten to death. We found sheep with deep wounds and many missing entirely,” he added. One man who tried to intervene was reportedly hit on the head with an iron pipe. Despite calling for an ambulance, soldiers detained him at a checkpoint for hours, denying him urgent medical care.

This incident marks the fifth time Kaabneh’s family has been displaced due to settler violence since October 2023. “Each time they come, they beat our women and children, steal or destroy everything we own,” he said.

Local activist Aref Daraghmeh reported that at least 30 Bedouin families have been forced to leave the Jordan Valley since the war in Gaza began, 20 of them in the last three months. Daraghmeh also highlighted a new tactic used by settlers—planting Israeli flags near Palestinian tents to provoke attacks if the flags are disturbed, even by wind.

“There is no protection for Palestinians,” Daraghmeh said. “The Israeli army is not just turning a blind eye—they are enabling the settlers in their effort to empty the Jordan Valley of its people.”