Eyewitnesses Describe Deadly Attack Near Gilad Farm and Military Response Failures

A deadly attack occurred near Gilad Farm in the West Bank early Friday morning, where a group of about 60 Jewish hikers was assaulted by Arab assailants from nearby villages. The group, traveling from Har Bracha, was first attacked around 7:05 a.m. near Rakefet Sela ridge, where Arabs threw stones and used clubs, injuring one hiker in the face. The hikers retreated but continued toward Gilad Farm.

At approximately 8:05 a.m., a second and more severe attack took place near Gilad Farm, with dozens of attackers from the village of Tal surrounding the group and throwing stones. Only one soldier arrived initially, while two others delayed. The attackers encircled the hikers from three directions, forcing them to try to disengage toward the Gilad route. Two armed civilians in the group fired warning shots in self-defense but had limited ammunition. Witnesses reported that soldiers, including one wearing a full vest, refused to fire.

As the attackers increased to hundreds, a military jeep and two civilian security personnel from Gilad Farm arrived. However, the soldiers remained passive and refused to shoot. Civilian security personnel fired warning shots in the air but failed to disperse the crowd. Unarmed civilians attempted to help defend the group but were pushed back by soldiers, including armed escorts. During the chaos, an Arab attacker, identified as a sheikh from the village, seized a weapon from one of the civilian security guards and fired, killing Binyahu Malat, a 32-year-old Gilad Farm resident and security team member.

Binyahu Malat was a central figure in the community, responsible for agriculture and active in the local security team. He was known for his efforts to monitor and counter organized Arab encroachment in the area and for his activism against Palestinian Authority plans to build a neighborhood on the Joshua Altar site on Mount Ebal. Malat left behind his wife Esther and two daughters aged 12 and 13. His death marks a significant loss for the Gilad Farm community and the broader settler movement in Judea and Samaria.