Jewish shepherds attacked in Binyamin region

Four Jewish shepherds were wounded when dozens of masked Arabs attacked them as they were herding their flock in the Binyamin region of Samaria on Tuesday.

Video said to be from the scene of the terrorist attack shows the Arabs wielding clubs and throwing stones at the shepherds at a farm northeast of Jerusalem, between the Israeli communities of Ma’ale Mikhmas and Rimonim.

Other residents from the farm who came to help were also reportedly attacked. The Arabs also broke several cellphones of victims who were trying to record the incident.

Magen David Adom emergency responders treated the men, who were evacuated with minor wounds to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

A half-hour after the attack, Israeli security forces arrived at the scene and arrested three of the attackers.

“I was herding the flock of sheep near the farm and suddenly four masked Arabs ran toward me with clubs. I immediately called the other shepherds on the farm who called the army and hurried to the scene. Within a few seconds, dozens more Arab rioters came running to the scene and just started beating me with stones and clubs from all directions,” one of the victims said from his hospital bed, as quoted by Israel National News.

“There is not one place on my body that was not hit. Another person who was with me was hit in the groin by a stone, and the rioters also broke his finger. The other group that came to help were also injured one after another. My cellphone also caught a few blows and stopped working. They outnumbered us six to one and arrived with a look of murder in their eyes,” the shepherd continued.

Separately, Israeli security forces arrested 24 suspects during overnight counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria on Monday.

The weapons confiscated included a stun grenade, a Carlo-type submachine gun, an M-16 rifle and ammunition.

No casualties to Israeli forces were reported. Military vehicles were slightly damaged during rioting in the Arab village of Beit Rima, northwest of Ramallah.