Jalud arson attack: Palestinian family’s homes burned after court-backed return

Homes burned hours after the family returned

More than 100 Israeli settlers entered Jalud, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on Monday night into early Tuesday and set fire to buildings, vehicles and other Palestinian property, according to the Israeli military account reported by the Financial Times and Al Jazeera Arabic. Palestinian local reporting said two homes belonging to the Tubasi family were burned after the family returned earlier that day. [4][5][6]

The Financial Times, Reuters, AP and the Israeli military described more than 100 participants; Al-Quds used the less specific term “dozens.” The military said three border-police officers were lightly injured. Arrest counts differ: the military and Reuters reported two suspects, while Israeli police told AP that three settlers were arrested. The figures are preserved by source rather than merged. [4][1][2][3][5]

The return followed an Israeli court decision

Reuters reported on September 6 that Israel’s Supreme Court ordered defense authorities to enable three displaced Palestinian families to return safely to homes in Jalud after settlers drove them out. Current Palestinian reporting identified Mahmoud Tubasi’s family as returning under a court-backed decision after roughly two months away. [7][5][4]

The Financial Times reported that the new violence began when Tubasi family members tried to return to the home from which they had been displaced in July. Al-Quds said two family homes were burned within hours of the authorized return. The reviewed sources did not include the full court order, so this article does not extend its legal requirements beyond the reported safe-return obligation. [4][5][7]

The military acknowledged settler arson but accounts of its conduct conflict

The Israeli military said settlers burned buildings, vehicles and property in Jalud and that more than 100 settlers blocked roads, burned tires and threw stones at Israeli forces, according to Al Jazeera’s report of the statement. That acknowledgment supports the basic occurrence of the arson but does not resolve who set each fire or the family’s allegation about soldiers’ actions. [6][4]

Palestinian sources quoted by Al-Quds and WAFA alleged that soldiers did not stop the settlers, protected them and forced the Tubasi family to leave again under threat. The military account reported in the reviewed coverage did not answer those specific allegations. They are therefore presented as claims requiring further investigation, not as adjudicated findings. [5][6]

Jalud has faced repeated attacks and displacement pressure

Reuters documented earlier in 2026 that settlers had occupied an unfinished Palestinian home in Jalud and that the village council counted repeated attacks involving burned homes, damaged vehicles and uprooted trees. Most countries and U.N. bodies consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law; Israel disputes that legal position. [8]

Reuters journalists reached the homes on Tuesday and described blackened walls, burned-tire residue and extensive interior damage. The family was not present. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the violence and called for prosecution, while the military said an investigation had begun. Arrests and an investigation do not establish charges, convictions or a safe return for the Tubasi family. [1][2][3]

How the sources compare