Inhabitants of the West Bank municipality assert that the recent settler assault was the "most brutal" they have ever encountered.
Upon returning home, Ali witnessed around 30 armed, masked, and black-clad settlers jumping over the fence, breaking windows, and tossing Molotov cocktails into his house.
CNN visited the scene, revealing that most of the ground floor was engulfed in flames, leaving scant remains of the chairs and sofas, which were reduced to hollow shells and smeared with soot. The air was thick with the smell of smoke.
According to Ali, the settlers declared, "We are Ben Gvir's gang, we have come to kill you, to kill Arabs," in both Arabic and Hebrew.
They ordered him to leave, threatening to return and eliminate him, Ali said, recounting the events from Thursday night.
CNN attempted to reach Ben Gvir's office for comment but received no response.
This incident is not an isolated event, as several houses and vehicles in Jit reportedly suffered damage from a violent assault by settlers on Thursday evening. The assault sparked strong criticism from high-ranking Israeli officials.
The settlers allegedly assaulted the village from three directions around 7 PM local time. They unleashed a hail of bullets, tear gas, and set homes and vehicles ablaze, according to residents.
Another resident, Mohamed Arman, sustained injuries while attempting to confront the settlers. One of them targeted him with a rock, causing deep cuts to his lips, as shown by a bandage covering the swollen corner of his mouth. His car was also set ablaze, he claimed.
CCTV footage obtained by CNN showed Arman attempting to repel at least five settlers. They appeared uniformly clad in black, pursuing Arman as he attempted to drive them away.
“They were armed to the teeth” was Arman's explanation, noting that they carried silencer firearms, knives, and even M16 rifles. “They arrived with the intention of committing a crime in the town” was his assessment.
The attack stirred condemnation from top Israeli officials, with a statement issued by Netanyahu's office warning that those responsible would be apprehended and put on trial.
“Netanyahu is but a marionette”
The tragic loss of life has brought about an outpouring of grief, with hundreds gathering for the burial of Rashid Sedda, a 23-year-old who was reportedly killed by settler gunfire.
Mourners blamed ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir for inciting settler violence, particularly since October 7th.
The preacher conducting the funeral service characterized Netanyahu as “but a toy in their hands.”
In May, Smotrich advocated for the approval of 10,000 settlements in the West Bank, the establishment of a new settlement for every nation recognizing a Palestinian state, and the revocation of travel permissions for Palestinian Authority officials. In June, Smotrich suggested that fostering Jewish settlements was the key to preventing a Palestinian state, which posed a threat to Israel.
Netanyahu has faced pressure to accommodate the far-right faction of his coalition and delay a ceasefire agreement, further prolonging the conflict in Gaza.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported at least 1,143 settler attacks against Palestinians from October 7 to August 5 alone, with 114 resulting in fatalities and injuries.
Settler leaders have since distanced themselves from the perpetrators, with Smotrich referring to them as “criminals” who “have no connection to settlements or settlers.”
Ben Gvir, on the other hand, suggested that the attack might have been prevented if Israeli soldiers were authorized to fire at stone-throwers in the West Bank. Ben Gvir also emphasized that it is strictly forbidden to take the law into one's own hands.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also condemned the attack, stating that they dispatched Israeli security forces to Jit “immediately” after receiving a report of the incident. They used riot dispersal methods, fired shots into the air, and removed the Israeli civilians from the town, they claimed.
An Israeli civilian implicated in the riots was taken into custody for questioning, and a joint investigation by Israeli security forces is underway to examine the death of the Palestinian resident, it was reported.
Despite the statements by Israeli officials, residents remained discontented. Murad Eshtewi, spokesperson for Fatah in the Qalqilya Province, where Jit is located, said that settler attacks are sanctioned by settler leaders and that Netanyahu's actions conveyed a license for settlers to attack the town of Jit.
As the PM basks in the approval of his extreme cabinet members, Eshtewi pointed out, there's been relentless violence in Gaza and the West Bank.
Locals in Jit have claimed that aggressive actions by settlers have been frequent ever since Netanyahu's fresh administration, with incidents increasing post-October 7. Yet, the attack on Thursday was something unprecedented.
They're worried it might not stop there.
In the words of Jamal Yamin, a resident of Jit and part of the municipal committee, "Yesterday's incident wasn't the first and won't be the last, but it was the most brutal."
According to Yamin, it falls on the international community to intervene and curb the violence, as the Palestinian populace lacks the necessary tools to counter these assaults.
"The world sees and hears what transpires, and does nothing about it," he stated.
This incident in Jit is not an isolated occurrence in the Middle East, as tensions and violence against Palestinians have been reported frequently around the world.
Despite the international concern and numerous incidents, effective action to curb the violence in the Middle East remains elusive.
