On Friday, 26 April 2024, at around 1:00 P.M., three settlers turned up at Khirbet ‘Ein al-Hilweh. They entered two tents, claiming that the residents had stolen their sheep. One of the settlers filmed inside the tent on his phone. The Palestinian residents called the police, but only soldiers arrived and did nothing. The settlers then stood next to an Israeli flag they had placed a few days earlier, about ten meters from the tents, and left the area after about an hour.
About two weeks earlier, on 13 April 2024, settlers came to the community, entered the tents, rummaged through them, left a mess, smashed two solar panels, poured dirt into tractor filters, and set a tent on fire.
Fathi Daraghmeh, 66, described the incident in a testimony he gave to B’Tselem field researcher ‘Aref Daraghmeh on 27 April 2024:
On Friday, 26 April 2024, at around 1:00 P.M., three settlers came to our tents. They shouted at us and claimed we’d stolen their sheep, and then entered the tents and filmed inside. This wasn’t the first time they used this excuse to enter our tents and sheep pens and intimidate us. They stayed in the community for about 30 minutes, and after an argument broke out between us, I called the police. In the end, only soldiers came. The settlers then went to stand about ten meters away from our tents, next to an Israeli flag they put up a few days earlier.
We live in constant fear. Settler presence has become a permanent part of our lives. They’re always wandering near our tents and harassing us.