On Sunday, 7 January 2024, at around 6:00 P.M., Mamduh Abu Tabikh (40), who lives on the outskirts of the community of al-Jawaya in the South Hebron Hills, noticed five cars with yellow [Israeli] license plates driving towards his house. Fearing for his family’s safety, Abu Tabikh drove them to the home of relatives in the nearby village of al-Karmel.
When he returned, he saw settlers roaming in and around his house and soldiers blocking other residents of the community from approaching. When he asked the soldiers what the settlers were doing inside his house, they replied that they were looking for a trailer and denied that the settlers had entered the house. When Abu Tabikh insisted, a soldier went into the house with him to find three settlers inside, two armed and one masked. The settlers ransacked the house, throwing clothes on the floor, breaking the fridge and cutting power cords. Seven more settlers, some of them armed and masked, smashed solar panels and caused damage to the electric panel.
The soldier ordered the settlers to leave the area, and they went over to the home of Ahmad Nawaj’ah (77). Two settlers entered the house, walked around in it and left without causing damage. The others waited outside. The settlers and soldiers left after about an hour.