On January 24, 2025, Israeli settler terrorists attacked the home of a Palestinian Christian family in Birzeit, near Ramallah, brutally assaulting an elderly Christian woman and three other family members. The woman was struck in the head with a stone, leaving her in critical condition, and was later taken for emergency surgery. Her son and two other residents were also injured and hospitalized.

Witnesses and reports say settlers stormed the family’s house near the Atara checkpoint, stoned its occupants, and assaulted the woman inside her own home. Settlers also reportedly brought sheep into the family’s yard, vandalized property, and attacked Palestinian land in the area.

Instead of arresting the settlers, Israeli forces arrived after the attack, fired tear gas to disperse locals who intervened, sealed off the area, and arrested three of the woman’s sons. One family member was reportedly tied up and detained, while Israeli soldiers allowed the settlers to leave. According to Israeli army statements cited by The Times of Israel, forces claimed they were responding to reports of Palestinians throwing stones, said one settler was lightly injured, and stated that one Palestinian suspect was detained.

Later the same day, settlers returned to Birzeit, set two cars on fire, and sprayed hateful graffiti in the area. Following the attack, settler groups publicly called for the demolition of the family’s home, escalating the incitement against the victims.

Wadie Abunassar, Coordinator of the Holy Land Christians Forum, condemned the assault, warning of the growing pattern of Israeli settler terrorism against Christian Palestinians, following the violent attack that left a Christian mother and her children injured.

Settler-linked websites later published a video showing a Birzeit resident defending his home, throwing a stone at a settler as settlers attacked his house and beat his mother inside.

According to Ramy Abdu, the settlers acted under the protection of the Israeli army, assaulted a 60-year-old woman and a child, vandalized property, and fired live ammunition and tear gas at anyone approaching the area. One son was injured and hospitalized, while another was arrested. According to Times of Israel: "One of the Israelis was lightly hurt and taken to a hospital, the army says, adding that it also detained one suspect and handed him over to the police for further questioning."

The incident reflects a broader pattern of settler violence in the West Bank, in which Palestinian victims are arrested following attacks, while Israeli perpetrators face little to no accountability.

The victim, 62-year-old Najat Emil Jadallah is in critical condition, suffering from a skull fracture and fractures in her legs.

According to Ramy Abdu, the settlers, under Israeli army protection, attacked Palestinian land and homes in Birzeit, north of Ramallah near the Atara checkpoint. Settlers brought their sheep into a family’s yard, assaulted a 60-year-old woman and a child, and vandalized property. Israeli forces arrested one family member, detained another after tying him up, sealed off the area, and fired tear gas and live ammunition at anyone who approached. The woman was taken to surgery after being struck on the head with a metal pipe, while her son was injured and hospitalized as another son was arrested.

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Reaction of Mariam Barghouti @MariamBarghouti:

Israeli soldiers are acting like bandits across the West Bank— looting homes and carrying out armed theft. Just moments ago Israeli army detained two men near Atara checkpoint just outside Ramallah and stole 500$ from one and 700$ from the other. Meanwhile Israeli settlers are calling on chatgroups to burn the entire town of Atara to the ground as they expand their outposts in the area. Israelis are a mafia who are armed to the teeth with a kaleidoscope of weapons, it’s not just the army— and in that reality Palestinians are being brutally expelled and robbed of their homes and belongings. Its a series of state sponsored highway robberies. source:

Statement of Munther Isaak MuntherIsaac:

Yesterday, Zionist settler thugs attacked the village of Birzeit, near Ramallah. They uprooted trees and deliberately let their flocks loose on Palestinian families’ lands—lands that are not only a source of livelihood, but a source of dignity and rootedness. When one woman from the village dared to shout at them and confront them, the settlers attacked her. She was attcked and had to be hospitalized and was placed in intensive care. Thank God, today her condition is stable. When her son and other relatives saw what was happening, they did what any human being would do: they rushed to defend her and pushed the attackers away. Now here is the real question: What did the Israeli army do? They did not arrest the settlers. They did not protect the family. They did not stop the attack. Instead, they beat the Palestinians and arrested the son who defended his mother. As of now, we have no news about him. Let us call this what it is: Zionist terrorism. The problem is not only the settlers. The problem is the system that empowers them. The problem is the immunity they enjoy. The problem is the protection they receive from the army. The problem is the ideology that sees Palestinians as disposable, as obstacles, as people without rights. This is not an isolated incident. This is happening everywhere in the West Bank. Day after day. Village after village. Family after family. Farmers, shepherds, children, elderly people—all are victims of this organized lawlessness. The family I mentioned happens to be Christian. But let no one think this is about Christians or Muslims. This is about Palestinians. All of us. We are all now exposed. All unprotected. All living under a system where the attacker is shielded and the victim is punished. This is injustice in its naked, brutal form. A system that protects violent settlers and arrests a son for defending his mother is not a system of law. It is a system of oppression and apartheid. Lord, have mercy.

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Munther Isaac @MuntherIsaac statement on January 26:

I just returned from visiting the Im’eid family in the hospital and praying with them. The son is still under arrest. The family is deeply traumatized. They told us their story, and many painful details will stay with me. But one moment in particular has not left my mind. When the soldiers came to the house to arrest members of the family, one of the women, in an act of courage and defiance, refused to open the door. The soldiers broke the window, pointed a gun at her, and in that moment of fear she made the sign of the cross. One of the settlers who had come with the soldiers saw that she is a Christian and said to her: “Why are you here? Go to France.” This makes me furious. It fills me with rage. Coming from people who, in most cases, came from Europe, who are the very colonizers of this land, and who now dare to tell us that we are the ones who belong in Europe—the level of arrogance and historical distortion is simply outrageous. We are the people of this land. We did not come from somewhere else. We did not arrive yesterday. We are rooted here. And then comes the familiar line: “This land is ours, as written in the Torah.” This is Zionism. They uproot trees. They terrorize families. They assault women. They arrest sons. And they do it in the name of God. Really? Thank God, not all Jews agree. (Sadly, many Western Christians do—e.g., Huckabee.) I told the family how proud I am of them for defending their land and their dignity. These are their trees. These are their fields. These are their lives. They are rooted here, just as deeply as the olive trees they try to uproot. Please hold them in your prayers. We call for the immediate release of Eid. Lord, have mercy.