A Jewish shepherd sustained light wounds when he was attacked by Palestinians in the Gush Etzion region of Judea on Monday, medical officials said.
The Israeli was “very lightly” injured in the head, and the assailants stole his flock, according to Hatzalah Judea and Samaria (Rescuers Without Borders). Security forces arrived at the scene.
The victim, who hailed from the nearby Givat Mikneh Avraham outpost, was attacked with clubs and stones while grazing his flock, Arutz 7 reported, saying the assailants emerged from the village of Arab al-Rashayida.
Last week, two similar attacks were reported in the pastures of the Judean hills and at a nearby Jewish farming outpost. Following the incidents, Israel Defense Forces soldiers and the Israel Police arrested four suspects from the neighboring Palestinian village of Kisan.
According to the Arutz 7 report, the suspects were released within days. The Israel Police confirmed to JNS on Monday that the suspects were released under restrictive conditions pending the investigation.
Arab aggression against Jewish shepherds in Judea and Samaria has been on the rise for years, according to data collected by authorities.
“Jewish farmers are grazing their sheep in open areas; Arabs don’t like that, even if it happens in Area C [of Judea and Samaria, where Jewish communities are located],” a regional official from Judea and Samaria told JNS in mid-2023. “They’re trying to stop them by using violence.”
