On 12 April 2024, Israeli teenager Benjamin Achimeir disappeared from a settler outpost in the occupied West Bank and was later found murdered. His death sparked a wave of organised reprisal violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages, resulting in four deaths, dozens of injuries, and widespread property destruction.
According to WhatsApp group messages obtained by Israeli monitoring groups, settlers coordinated attacks on 11 Palestinian villages, torching a dozen homes and over 100 cars, and slaughtering thousands of animals. The messages, circulated by extremist figures including Elisha Yered and Eitan Rabinovich, called for collective punishment and used terms like 'exterminate the beasts'.
The attacks occurred on a Saturday, normally a day of rest for religious settlers, but organisers argued that the search for Achimeir overrode religious law. Groups such as 'Investigating Fear of Kidnapping' with 306 members directed settlers to set up illegal checkpoints and conduct home searches.
Israeli police have arrested five settlers in connection with the violence, while one Palestinian suspect is held for Achimeir's murder. The reprisals targeted villages up to 7km from the outpost, with no apparent link to the teenager's death.
