On May 27, 2025, Israeli settlers carried out a pogrom on Al-Mughayyir.

Settlers had attacked the outskirts of Al-Mughayyir village and attempted to burn agricultural lands and wheat crops in the Marj Sa’i plain, before residents confronted them and forced them to flee.

As clashes broke out between Palestinians and extremist groups, Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene and intervened by trying to push the Palestinians out of the area.

While documenting the incident, AA photojournalist Issam Rimawi was attacked by Israeli settlers as he was heading to his vehicle.

This assault was part of a series of attacks on journalists in the West Bank. On the same day, at least 12 other Palestinian journalists were injured in attacks by Israeli forces Gaz canister, 6 near Nablus and 6 near Bethlehem.

Previous events:

On May 18, Israeli settlers established an illegal outpost inside the Palestinian shepherding community of Maghayer Al-Dir in Area C of the West Bank, just 100 meters from homes. Within days, about half the villagers fled, fearing violence.

On May 21, a settler “walking tour” escalated into an attack involving dozens of armed settlers, stone-throwing, and beatings of Palestinians and activists, forcing the entire community of 23 families (around 150 people) to flee by the next day.

This event is part of a broader pattern since October 2023, where over 60 Palestinian shepherding communities have been displaced by settler violence and new outposts, often backed by the Israeli army. Maghayer Al-Dir was the last Palestinian community in its area, now surrounded by settlements and outposts.

Settlers used tactics like land seizures, fencing, water theft, and livestock theft to push Palestinians out. Residents reported police complicity with settlers and ongoing harassment. The attack on Maghayer Al-Dir was described as a deliberate effort to ethnically cleanse the area, with settlers openly boasting about driving Palestinians away to replace them with Jewish settlers.

The displaced families face an uncertain future, with some hoping for temporary resettlement in Area B, though permanent solutions remain elusive. The Israeli army states the outpost was built on state land and that stop-work orders were issued, but settlers continue expanding.

This violent displacement highlights the ongoing struggle over land in the West Bank, with settler outposts serving as tools to force Palestinians off their ancestral lands.

Location

Al-Mughayyir is a Palestinian village situated northeast of Ramallah, with a population of approximately 4,500 residents as of 2024.

(This is a different place than the close Bedouin village ethnically cleansed on May 22, 2025, with an estimated distance of approximately 10 to 15 kilometers separating them : The both villages have been subjected to repeated attacks by Israeli settlers, but these two communities are distinct in their demographics and specific circumstances)

Injured journalist

Anadolu photojournalist injured in an Israeli raid in West Bank

Issam al-Rimawi is a seasoned Palestinian photojournalist affiliated with Turkey's Anadolu Agency (AA), recognized for his extensive coverage of events in the occupied West Bank. His work often focuses on documenting the daily lives of Palestinians, protests, military incursions, and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On May 27, 2025, while documenting the wheat harvest in the village of al-Mughayyir in the West Bank, Rimawi was brutally attacked by masked Israeli settlers. He was ambushed, beaten unconscious with clubs and rocks, and left with a fractured arm, head injuries and 10 stitches, a concussion and skull fracture, and broken equipment (cameras, phone, Apple Watch)

He had arrived to document farmers rushing to harvest their crops after settlers had torched fields the night before. He was ambushed alone near his car after photographing from a distance with a zoom lens and despite shouting “I am press!”, settlers continued the assault. He was unconscious for three hours, had to be hospitalized for 10 days. After this period, he still suffers from dizziness but plans to return to work with more caution.

Al-Rimawi maintains an active presence on Instagram, where he shares his photographic work and experiences.

In addition to the May 2025 incident, al-Rimawi has faced other challenges in his career. Rimawi has been injured 13 times in his career. For instance, on November 7, 2024, Israeli occupation forces briefly detained him at the Ennab checkpoint east of Tulkarm, searching his vehicle and camera equipment. english.wafa.ps

Al-Rimawi's dedication to photojournalism has made him a prominent figure in documenting the realities of life under occupation, and his work continues to shed light on the experiences of Palestinians in the region.

Rimawi at home in El Bireh, this week. While witnessing and documenting life in the West Bank for 20 years, he's been wounded 13 times, usually lightly.Credit: Alex Levac

On May 28 to 30: Israeli soldiers invaaded the village of Mugghayyir in order to demolish houses, using Hyundai excavators.

On May 29: Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian-owned lands at the entrance to the village of Al-Mughayyir

On June 2, 2025, an Israeli settler, under the protection of Israeli forces, stormed the "Abu Hammam" gathering in the village of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah, at dawn. He assaulted the family and solidarity activists before seizing two phones from the site.