Settler violence displaces 15 Palestinian families near Jericho

A boy from the bedouin community of al-Auja looks at an empty sheepfold after sheep were reportedly stolen by Israeli settlers in an attack, west of Jericho in the Israel-occupied West Bank. (File / AFP)
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Updated 11 February 2026
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Settler violence displaces 15 Palestinian families near Jericho

  • The families in the village of Deir Al-Dik left the As-Satih area after settlers began plowing and leveling the land surrounding their homes
  • The families belong to the Al-Ara’ra clan, one of the latest Bedouin communities that left their dwellings due to settlers’ violence

LONDON: Ongoing attacks by Israeli settlers on a Palestinian community west of Jericho in the central occupied West Bank forced 15 families to leave their homes on Wednesday.

The families in the village of Deir Al-Dik left the As-Satih area after settlers began plowing and leveling the land surrounding their homes, preventing them from using it, according to the Wafa news agency.

According to the Al-Baydar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights, the 15 families belong to the Al-Ara’ra clan. The leveling operations have caused significant damage to agricultural lands.

The Al-Ara’ra clan is one of the latest Bedouin communities to leave their dwellings due to settler violence. In January, 20 families belonging to the Az-Zayed clan left their homes in the Shallal Al-Auja community north of Jericho after months of threats from settlers, denial of access to pastures, and vandalism of properties.

At least 694 Palestinians were forcefully driven from their homes in January, according to figures from the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA.


Iran missile barrage sparks explosions over Tel Aviv

Updated 06 March 2026
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Iran missile barrage sparks explosions over Tel Aviv

  • Two near-simultaneous waves of explosions reverberating across the city
  • Israel’s emergency services confirms plenty of damage but said there were no casualties

TEL AVIV: The latest Iranian missile barrage sparked a wave of explosions across Tel Aviv as firefighters worked to contain a blaze at a residential building near Israel’s commercial hub on Friday.
The blasts came after Israel expanded its campaign against Hezbollah, vowing retribution against the Tehran-backed militant group for joining the conflict following the killing on Saturday of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s state broadcaster said Tehran had fired missiles “against targets in the heart of Tel Aviv,” after Israel’s military said it was working to intercept incoming Iranian fire late Thursday.
AFP journalists in Tel Aviv heard two near-simultaneous waves of explosions reverberating across the city.
Rocket trails also lit up the sky in Netanya, a city north of Tel Aviv on Israel’s Mediterranean coast.
After the barrage, Israel’s emergency services, the Magen David Adom (MDA), said its teams had visited several reported impact sites but that there were no casualties.
Israeli police said it was “currently handling scenes involving fallen projectiles in central Israel,” adding that there was “damage” but no injuries.
A projectile hit a building on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, forcing residents to evacuate.
At another residential site near Israel’s economic hub, firefighters worked to put out a blaze caused by falling debris after an Iranian rocket fire was intercepted.
Israel’s Home Front Command issues several rocket fire warnings early Friday for communities near the Lebanon border.