Israeli forces dismantle West Bank outpost near where 2 Palestinians said shot dead

Civil Administration says Nof HaMishkan structures were built on private Palestinian land, dismantled by order of IDF Central Command after ‘violent incidents’ originating in area

Israeli forces have dismantled structures in the illegal Jewish West Bank outpost of Nof HaMishkan, near the Palestinian village Qaryut in the territory’s north, after two Palestinians were reportedly shot dead there Monday in a clash with settlers.

Responding to reports that Nof HaMishkan was dismantled overnight, the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration said Thursday that it took down Israeli structures that were illegally built on private Palestinian land near Qaryut. The statement also cited the recent violence.

“The evacuation was executed in accordance with an order signed by the Israel Defense Forces Central Command chief, after serious criminal and violent incidents came out of the area and threatened regional stability,” the statement said.

During the overnight raid at Nof HaMishkan, forces from the Border Police and from the Israeli Civil Administration kicked out two settler families and confiscated livestock that was in their possession, according to Hebrew outlets, which published footage of the demolition.

Extremist settler activist Elisha Yered, citing Nof HaMishkan residents, called the demolition “a prize for terrorism.” Settler activists have claimed that the two Palestinian brothers killed in Qaryut on Monday were Hamas fighters, after the brothers appeared on an alleged Hamas condolence poster that hailed them as “jihadi martyrs.”

The poster appeared in small regional Telegram groups, but was not published in any official channels of Hamas, which called the brothers simply “martyrs” in a statement condemning their killing.

It did not appear to be issued by the terror group’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, which normally issues condolence posters for Hamas operatives killed by Israel. Nor did the poster describe the brothers as “Qassami jihadi,” as the Hamas armed wing typically does for its “martyrs.”

In addition, the alleged “jihadi” condolence poster referred to the slain brothers as Fahim and Muahmmad Azem, while Hamas in its official channels referred to them as Fahim and Taha Muammar.

But citing the claims of Hamas affiliation, Yered demanded Israeli authorities prosecute the village of Qaryut. He said two of its “Hamas-identified terrorists were eliminated,” accusing them of attacking a settler operating a bulldozer in the area of the village.

After the shooting in Qaryut, the IDF said it was investigating “friction” between Palestinians and settlers in the area, but no arrests have yet been reported.

The shooting in Qaryut came amid a spike in settler attacks since the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023. Such attacks have also reportedly risen since the start of the US-Israeli strikes in Iran began on Saturday, according to the Yesh Din human rights group, which reported 50 incidents of settler violence in the first four days of the war.

Instances of settler violence are reported on a near-daily basis but rarely prosecuted.

On Thursday, Palestinian locals and Israeli activists reported ongoing harassment by settlers close to the village of Duma, just east of Shiloh, despite the IDF imposing a closed military zone order on the area.

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.