Masked Israeli settlers launched an assault on Palestinian farmers and accompanying foreign activists in the West Bank town of Qusra on Sunday, as reported by the victims and confirmed by videos obtained by CNN.
The eight activists were part of the Palestinian grassroots initiative, Defend Palestine, which invites international volunteers to the Israeli-occupied West Bank to shield Palestinians from settler violence.
Following the attack, two Americans and a German national were hospitalized with suspected fractures, while another American volunteer suffered minor injuries.
One Palestinian farmer also required hospitalization.
Three of the foreign victims—Vivi Chen, David Hummel, and Jedda, who chose not to reveal her last name—shared their ordeal with CNN from a hospital in Nablus, West Bank, where they were receiving medical care.
The group had been assisting Palestinian farmers in accessing their olive fields, which had been off-limits since October due to prior settler attacks.
As they approached the fields, they were confronted by several young settlers positioned on a nearby hill.
“They sort of stood there for a while and then they came up to our group of international volunteers and they started hitting us with these thick wooden sticks almost like baseball bats,” Chen recounted.
Videos captured by the activists show them attempting to retreat as the settlers attacked.
One volunteer is seen immediately falling, another using his arms to shield himself from blows, and at least one person being kicked and struck with a rock.
A female volunteer fell down the hill and was subsequently hit with a rock. The attackers also destroyed her phone and she lost her documents and cards, according to Chen.
“We were doing nothing,” said Hummel. “Our hands were up and we were backing up and trying to protect each other. So eventually, we tried to keep moving back because we had been hit so many times.”
Israel occupied the West Bank following the 1967 war with Jordan and initiated Jewish settlements on the land. Currently, over 700,000 Jewish settlers reside in the West Bank.
The international community views the area as occupied and considers Israeli settlements there illegal. Palestinians aim to claim this territory for a future independent state.
On Friday, the International Court of Justice, the UN’s highest court, declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal, urging Israel to end its occupation.
The ICJ called for a halt to new settlements, evacuation of settlers, and reparations
