Extremist settlers reportedly carried out two attacks against Palestinians late Wednesday in the West Bank, as the phenomenon of settler violence continues largely unchecked.

Footage from Wednesday evening showed settlers attempting to steal sheep from Palestinian herders in the West Bank hamlet of Al-Mirkaz in the South Hebron Hills, with residents claiming that the extremists were accompanied by at least one soldier.

The footage, taken by villagers, shows the settlers entering their homes and their sheep pens, while a separate video shows others approaching a different pen accompanied by a person wearing an IDF in uniform, although without tactical equipment, and another individual who was in half-uniform.

There was no response to a request for comment from the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

According to Mishirqi Quamar Assad, an attorney with the legal aid organization Haqel-In Defense of Human Rights, which represents Palestinians in the region, the assailants were trying to place ear tags of their own on the Palestinian-owned sheep in order to be able to claim that they belonged to the settlers.

Palestinian herders in the West Bank, their legal representatives, and Israeli civil rights activists have frequently reported and documented efforts by settler extremists to intermingle their own herds with Palestinian herds in order to then steal the Palestinian livestock, as well as similar tactics.

Extremist settlers broke into Palestinian homes and sheep pens in Al-Mirkaz in the South Hebron Hills today, apparently accompanied by [reservist/off duty?] IDF soldiers in what residents and their lawyer said was an attempt to steal their sheep… pic.twitter.com/yrRxNeYXAE — Jeremy Sharon (@jeremysharon) April........

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