Al Jazeera: Israeli soldiers in civilian clothes attack Palestinians in the West Bank

In the field research of the Qatar-based channel, it was stated that Israeli settlers who usurped Palestinian lands, who were found to be on active duty in the Israeli army or wearing military uniforms during the attacks, killed 14 Palestinians.

The research stated that Israeli soldiers were included in Israeli groups that raided Palestinian towns and villages in civilian clothes, and it was noted that this made it impossible to distinguish soldiers and Israeli armed robbers in the field.

THE NUMBER OF PERSONNEL OF THE HAGMAR BATTALION HAS BEEN INCREASED BY 6 TIMES

In the research, special attention was given to the activities of the "Hagmar Battalion", which consists of Israelis who usurped Palestinian lands as reserve soldiers of the Israeli army. It was emphasized that the number of personnel in this battalion has increased 6 times since 2023, when Israel's attacks on Gaza began.

While it was pointed out that there were radical changes in the operational mission description of the battalion, it was stated that the structure, which was previously responsible only for protecting illegal settlements, started to directly lead and support the attacks on Palestinian villages and towns.

Security sources whose views were included in the research stated that the inclusion of Jewish settlers who usurped Palestinian lands in the army provided them with access to critical and sensitive security information of the Palestinians.

Sources noted that these people also acquired state-licensed weapons and underwent intensive military training processes.

ATTACKS BY CIVILIZED SOLDIERS WERE DOCUMENTED

Within the scope of the research, cases of attacks targeting Palestinians in which Israeli soldiers in civilian clothes participated were recorded with concrete evidence.

In one of the documented incidents, it was stated that a Palestinian died as a result of the fire opened by an Israeli soldier disguised as a settler during a raid on an agricultural land in the city of Hebron in the south of the occupied West Bank.

It was shared that the soldier in question was a well-known activist among Israeli radical groups, and that the USA imposed sanctions on him in 2024, but these sanctions were later lifted.

In the investigation, camera recordings of the moments when another Israeli soldier disguised as a settler attacked Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in the city of Nablus were also presented to the public.

12 THOUSAND 506 ATTACKS ON PALESTINIANS SINCE OCTOBER 2023

According to the data of the Separation (Shame) Wall and Council for Combating Jewish Settlements affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), between October 2023, when Israel launched its Gaza attacks, and June 30, 2026, Israelis who usurped Palestinian lands carried out 12,506 attacks.

While 52 Palestinians lost their lives in these attacks, 890 fires were started in Palestinian properties, residences and fields.

It has been observed that the Israeli army and the Jewish settlers who usurped Palestinian lands have escalated their attacks and violations throughout the West Bank since October 2023, when Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip began.

Among these attacks and violations, killings, detentions, house demolitions, forced displacement, land grabbing and expansion of illegal settlements stood out.

According to Palestinian official data, more than 1,220 Palestinians have died, approximately 13,350 people have been injured, and more than 26 thousand Palestinians have been detained in attacks in the occupied West Bank since October 2023.