Hamad al-‘Azazmeh in his yard. The flags in the foreground were planted on the fence by settlers. Photo: Salma a-Deb’i, B’Tselem, 25 April 2024
On Monday, 19 March 2025, at around 4:00 P.M., about five settlers armed with rifles went into the residential compound of the ‘Azazmeh family in Wadi ‘Ein al-Matawi. In 2024, an outpost named Shuvael Farm was established about a kilometer away. The settlers broke into the yard, dragged the head of the family, 74-year-old Hamad al-‘Azazmeh, out of the compound, and beat him with their weapons until he lost consciousness.
The settlers then set fire to three sheep pens belonging to the family and located outside the residential compound, which were empty at the time.
Sheep pens burning after being torched by settlers. Use under Section 27A
Hamad al-‘Azazmeh was rushed to Salfit Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage. He was transferred to Rafidya Hospital in Nablus, where he was hospitalized for four days before being discharged.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Salma a-Deb’i on 25 April 2025, Hamad al-‘Azazmeh, 74, a father of five, said:
Hamad al-‘Azazmeh at the hospital after being assaulted by settlers. Photo courtesy of local residents
I’ve lived in the Wadi ‘Ein al-Matawi area for about 40 years. I moved here from the Bani Na’im area because there was more pasture here, and I bought the land from residents of Salfit. We make our living raising sheep and selling dairy products.
At first, life here in Wadi al-Matawi was nice and quiet, and we didn’t encounter any problems. We put caravans on our land, and about a decade ago, I built a small house. My father and I invested everything we had to settle here. My adult children, three daughters and two sons, grew up here and live with me.
Last year, settlers established an outpost on the hilltop several hundred meters from us, on Farkhah village land. Early this year, they paved a road that passes right in front of our house, set up lighting poles and cameras, and since then, they’ve prevented us from crossing this road to reach the pastureland with our sheep. They’ve turned the road into a border we’re not allowed to cross, with or without the flock. We’re not even allowed to stand in front of our house. The moment the settlers see us at the entrance, they order us to go inside.
On 19 March 2025, at around 4:00 P.M., I was sitting in the yard, and my sons, ‘Eid, 33, and Sa‘id, 30, were in a nearby room. My wife and daughters were in another room. Suddenly, five to seven settlers armed with rifles burst into the yard. They grabbed me by the arms and dragged me outside our compound. There, they pounced on me, beat me with their guns, and kicked me as I lay on the ground. One of them struck me on the head with his gun, and I passed out. I woke up at Salfit Hospital with severe pain in my head and all over my body.
The road settlers paved at the entrance to al-‘Azazmeh’s home. Photo: Salma a-Deb’i, B’Tselem, 25 April 2024
The doctor told me I had internal bleeding in my brain and that I needed to be transferred to Rafidya Hospital, where there’s a neurology specialist. I was taken there by ambulance and kept in the hospital for four days before being discharged.
I still feel tired and have headaches, and every week I go to a doctor in Salfit who prescribes medication. I filed a complaint with the Palestinian DCO, but I haven’t heard of any developments.
The settlers have also attacked my son Sa‘id several times, most recently ten days ago, when he went out with the flock only 400 meters from the house. They chased him on an ATV, threw stones at him and beat him with clubs. I took him to Salfit Hospital, where he underwent tests and was given painkillers.
Our lives have become hell. Even customers who used to come to buy cheese from us are now afraid to come. The moment someone comes over, even just for a visit, the settlers show up on their ATVs immediately, and the visitors get scared and leave. We’re also afraid the settlers will attack us or steal our sheep. We feel constantly threatened.
Israel’s regime of apartheid and occupation is inextricably bound up in human rights violations. B’Tselem strives to end this regime, as that is the only way forward to a future in which human rights, democracy, liberty and equality are ensured to all people, both Palestinian and Israeli, living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, Israel has acted in a coordinated and deliberate manner to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip, committing genocide against its residents. In light of Israel’s actions in Gaza, the public statements made by Israeli decision-makers, and the international community’s failure to take effective action, there is a serious risk that the Israeli regime will expand the genocide to other areas under its control—first and foremost, the West Bank.
B’Tselem calls on the Israeli public and the international community to use every tool available under international law to bring an immediate end to Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.
