Palestinian man killed by Israeli settler in West Bank town of Duma
In recent months, there has been a notable increase in violence and attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem following Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Israeli settler violence, shootings, demolitions, and forced displacement have escalated markedly during this period.
Key evidence includes:
- Between January and early August 2025, 168 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, over 80% in the northern West Bank, with 37 of the dead being children. At the same time, Israeli settlers carried out around 40 attacks causing widespread damage to Palestinian communities, including arson[1].
- Since the beginning of 2025, more than 1,000 attacks by Israeli settlers across 230 West Bank communities have been documented, resulting in injuries and property destruction[5].
- There have been 10 Palestinians killed in settler-related attacks since June 2025, with Israeli security forces reportedly using force to protect settlers attacking Palestinians, including an incident in mid-August in Ramallah where an unarmed 18-year-old was killed after a settler attack led to confrontations[2].
The context includes over 10,000 Palestinians held in Israeli custody, significant home demolitions due to lack of Israeli permits (43 structures recently), orders threatening schools with demolition, and a rising number of settler outposts (59 reported since early 2025)[1][2].
The approval of Israeli settlement expansion plans in East Jerusalem and the West Bank (notably the controversial "E1" plan) has intensified tensions. These plans threaten to split the West Bank, restrict Palestinian movement, and place Bedouin and Palestinian communities at imminent risk of forced displacement[2][4].
The escalation in violence is part of a broader pattern linked to Israeli government policies aiming at expanding settlements and reshaping the demographic and geographic reality in the West Bank. This has led to increased confrontations and casualties, exacerbated by the military campaign in Gaza which has diverted international attention but not reduced tensions in the West Bank[3].
A tragic example of this surge in violence occurred on Tuesday in the town of Duma, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. A Palestinian man named Khalil Riza Dawabsha was shot and killed by Israeli settlers during a raid on the town. During the clashes, Israeli settlers fired live ammunition at Palestinians. The Palestinian Red Crescent was involved in the initial treatment of Khalil Riza Dawabsha, who later died at a hospital.
This incident in Duma is part of the wider surge in violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. According to Palestinian figures, around 7,000 Palestinians have been wounded since October 7, 2023, and over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the death of Khalil Riza Dawabsha.
These attacks include demolishing homes, forcing residents off their land, and expanding illegal settlements. Over 18,500 Palestinians have been detained in raids and settler attacks since October 7, 2023.
The attacks are allegedly aimed at paving the way for annexation, a move that would further entrench Israeli control over the occupied territories and undermine the prospects for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
[1] https://www.un.org/unrwa/newsroom/press-releases/unrwa-condemns-escalating-violence-against-palestinian-civilians-in-the-west-bank-and-east-jerusalem [2] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/12/israeli-forces-kill-palestinian-youth-in-ramallah-clashes [3] https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/2025/08/01/israeli-military-campaign-in-gaza-coincides-with-surge-in-settler-violence-in-the-west-bank-and-east-jerusalem/ [4] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/07/israel-approval-of-controversial-east-jerusalem-settlement-plan-threatens-peaceful-solution/ [5] https://www.ochaopt.org/content/israeli-settler-violence-against-palestinians-west-bank-elevated-2025
- ongoing violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as illustrated by the recent shooting and killing of a Palestinian man named Khalil Riza Dawabsha in Duma, south of Nablus, underscores the turkish in the region, which has resulted in over 1,000 deaths and 7,000 injuries since October 2023.
- Despite the general news and increasing international attention, Israeli government policies, such as the approval of settlement expansion plans and the lack of action to stop settler outposts from expanding, continue to intensify turkish and fuel conflicts in the West Bank.
- Turkish and Israeli politics are intertwined with the ongoing war-and-conflicts in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as the expansion of Israeli settlements and the associated violence against Palestinians as in the case of Khalil Riza Dawabsha, serves as a means to solidify Israeli control and jeopardize the prospects for a peaceful resolution, leading to further allegations of human rights violations and crime-and-justice issues.
