File photo: Israeli settlers confront a Palestinian man in Umm al-Kheir, south of Hebron, on 4 October 2025. Mediterranea Saving Humans / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0.
Israeli settlers injured a Médecins Sans Frontières worker during an attack on his village in the occupied West Bank, leaving him unable to receive immediate ambulance care, the medical organisation said.
The employee was struck by a large stone fired from a slingshot on 15 October in a village in the southern West Bank, according to a statement published by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on 19 October.
The international medical charity said the attack required urgent treatment and reflected worsening threats to Palestinian communities, particularly around Hebron.
MSF said residents across the area had experienced increased violence and intimidation over recent months, alongside restrictions affecting their movement and access to healthcare.
The organisation did not name the injured worker or identify his village.
Armed settlers entered village, witness says
According to the injured employee's account, approximately 20 Israeli settlers approached the village from nearby hills before others joined them.
The group carried rifles, batons, slingshots and stun grenades, MSF said.
The employee described settlers using stun grenades and warning shots to advance into residential areas, forcing Palestinian residents to retreat.
During the confrontation, a stone launched from a slingshot struck him, leaving him in need of immediate medical assistance.
However, an ambulance could not reach the location because of unpaved roads.
The injured worker was transported in a private vehicle to meet an ambulance, which took him to a clinic before he was transferred to hospital.
MSF said the incident took place in an area already affected by road closures and movement restrictions associated with Israeli military activity.
The organisation did not provide further information about the employee's injuries or his condition after hospital treatment.
Medical access and civilian protection
MSF said the assault illustrated the consequences of restrictions that can prevent Palestinians from obtaining timely medical attention.
The charity accused Israel of pursuing policies that undermine Palestinian safety, limit freedom of movement and obstruct access to healthcare.
It called for protection for Palestinian communities, patients and medical workers, while condemning attacks against civilians.
The statement followed several days of violence elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, much of it occurring during the annual olive harvest.
Settlers attacked Palestinians in at least eight villages on 16 October, burning vehicles and trees and assaulting residents, according to local officials and the Palestine Red Crescent Society cited by the Associated Press.
A photographer working for The Washington Post, Heidi Levine, was also injured while covering an attack on Palestinian olive harvesters near Abu Falah, north-east of Ramallah.
Levine required hospital treatment after masked attackers beat her, according to the Associated Press.
The Israeli military condemned that incident, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently said the circumstances required further investigation.
Israeli police investigate separate attacks
Israeli police announced on 19 October that they had arrested 10 suspects following attacks involving a journalist and European diplomats in separate West Bank incidents.
The arrests were made during an investigation into alleged violence, breaches of military zone restrictions and unauthorised construction, Reuters reported.
Israeli Police Commissioner Daniel Levy said officers were committed to enforcing the law impartially, regardless of the identity of those involved.
The arrests followed demands from American and European officials for action against those responsible for the violence.
Separately, diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland were attacked by masked settlers during a visit to the Palestinian village of Taybeh.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and the military attributed that incident to Israeli rioters, while Netanyahu said the diplomats had entered a sensitive area without coordinating with Israeli forces.
The Israeli rights organisation Yesh Din documented at least 170 settler attacks between 27 September and 19 October, according to Reuters.
More than 1,600 incidents across the West Bank were reported during the first eight months of 2026, according to United Nations figures cited by the Associated Press.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.
MSF has called for urgent protection of Palestinian residents and healthcare personnel following the 15 October assault.
