Israeli military personnel wearing civilian clothing have been documented taking part in assaults on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank. A new investigative report revealed that active-duty soldiers and reservists participated in raids while dressed in plain clothes, making them indistinguishable from armed Israeli occupiers.
The Qatar-based network behind the probe documented the killings of 14 Palestinians by Israeli forces who were either serving in the military or appeared in army uniforms during violent attacks. The investigation focused heavily on the Israeli army’s Hagmar regional defense units, which recruit Israeli occupiers as reservists.
According to the findings, the ranks of these regional defense units have expanded sixfold since 2023. Their operational role has shifted, moving away from merely guarding illegal settlements to directly supporting aggressive operations against Palestinian villages.
Informed sources cited in the investigation explained that military service grants Israeli occupiers access to sensitive information regarding Palestinians. They also receive regular military training and official licensed weapons through these armed networks.
The investigation linked the fatal shooting of a Palestinian farmer on his land in Hebron province to a soldier operating in civilian clothes. The individual identified in the incident was an activist in Israeli occupier groups who faced US sanctions in 2024 before those restrictions were later lifted. The report withheld his name.
Visual evidence presented in the findings showed another Israeli soldier dressed in civilian attire while physically assaulting Palestinian olive farmers in Nablus province. These incidents occurred alongside a broader surge in violence targeting Palestinians and their property across the West Bank, which includes East Jerusalem.
Official figures from the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission recorded 1,369 separate attacks by Israeli occupiers during the single month of October. The commission also documented a total of 12,506 attacks between October 2023 and June 2026.
These widespread assaults resulted in the deaths of 52 Palestinians during the documented period. The violence also led to 890 separate fires being set on Palestinian property and agricultural farmland across the territory.
