Settler mob attack IDF soldiers with stones, hospitalizing one with head injuries

IDF troops attempted to dismantle the illegal outpost Givat Tzur Harel but were pelted with stones by residents, leaving one soldier wounded, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

About 50 settlers gathered to attack the IDF soldiers, injuring one soldier who was taken to hospital with head injuries, according to Israel Hayom.

Two people were later arrested as a result of the violence.

The IDF later confirmed that a soldier had been injured by a glass bottle thrown by an Israeli citizen and that he was then taken to hospital for medical treatment.

The IDF also confirmed that "dozens" of Israeli citizens were involved in the stone-throwing directed at IDF troops.

A perennial problem

Troops were present in the illegal outpost as it had been ordered dismantled and were there to complete the destruction of the settlement.

The outpost has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times over the past two decades since it was first established.

The settlement was the cause of a disagreement between the IDF and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich after the IDF ordered the settlement dismantled in July, but the move was blocked by Smotrich, who also serves as the minister responsible for civilian activity in the West Bank.

At that time, residents also attacked IDF and police officers who were there to dismantle the settlement.