On 8 January 2026, after persistent attempts, Israel succeeded in forcibly transferring 26 families, numbering 124 people, including 59 minors, from the community of Ras ‘Ein al-‘Auja. The families were forced to abandon their homes due to ongoing violence by settler militias and official Israeli forces.
The community of Ras ‘Ein al-‘Auja, located about 10 kilometers north of Jericho, is the last remaining shepherding community in the southern Jordan Valley, and the largest remaining in the West Bank. It is still home to about 100 families numbering roughly 600-700 people. The community suffers severe and daily violence by the settlers, with the support of the military, including repeated incursions into its territory with herds of camels and sheep, physical attacks on residents, destruction and theft of property, and livestock theft. In one incident, in March 2025, approximately 1,500 head of sheep were stolen.
These settlers have also established outposts near the community, most recently on Wednesday, 31 December 2025. After attacking the community the previous day, the militias set up a shed about 300-400 meters from residents’ homes, and brought in livestock from other outposts they had previously established around it.
On the morning of Thursday, 8 January 2026, Palestinian families in the houses near which the outpost was established packed their belongings and left their homes of decades. This marks the first wave of departures from the community, whose residents have faced escalating violence since October 2023.