On March 2, 2026, around 12:00, a settler entered an olive grove and began work to open an unauthorized access road on privately owned Palestinian land.

Residents went down to drive him away, reportedly by throwing stones, according to a security source. Live fire was then opened toward the Palestinians.

Video documentation shows a settler carrying a long firearm aiming his weapon toward a Palestinian residential home, accompanied by several young settlers; the footage does not indicate that their lives were under threat. Evidence collected by police at the scene later indicated that the shooter was not a civilian but a regional defense soldier.

Three otherswere wounded by the gunfire, including a third brother.

It should be noted that West Bank villages are currently under full closure since March 1 (Israeli-US war on Iran), and ambulance passage through checkpoints requires prior coordination.

According to reports, Israeli army forces who arrived after the shooting used crowd-control measures against Palestinians and began making arrests. Eyewitnesses reported the military arrested more than 20 Palestinians in the village. Because of the closure Israel has imposed on the West Bank, ambulances were unable to reach and evacuate the wounded for over an hour.

The detainees were released only later, once details of the incident became clear.

After the deaths of the two brothers who had attempted to defend the grove were confirmed, heavy engineering machinery returned to the site. The excavator was later confiscated by Israeli army forces.

Casulaties :

According to the Red Crescent, five people were shot:

1. Two Palestinian brothers, Mohammed Taha Maamar (52), who was shot in the head,

2. and Fahim Taha Maamar (48), who was shot in the pelvis, were killed by Israeli settler gunfire when in their house. Resuscitation efforts were carried out, but in vain.

3. a 30-year-old man was shot in the shoulder,

4. a 32-year-old man was shot in the thigh,

5. a 15-year-old boy was shot in the shoulder.

The deaths of two of the wounded men, who were brothers, were confirmed shortly afterward.

Names of the martyrs:

Mohammad Taha Mo’amar, 52

Faheem Taha Mo’amar, 48

Israeli Army investigation:

The IDF said Tuesday that it was investigating that incident as well, probing an IDF reservist suspected of committing the shooting. Israeli forces also dismantled an illegal Jewish outpost near Qaryut overnight Wednesday-Thursday, citing “violent incidents” that had originated in the area. The reservist suspected in the Qaryut shooting is a member of one of the IDF’s so-called area defense forces, known by the Hebrew acronym Hagmar. Dozens of soldiers from such units, which comprise local settlers serving in reserve duty, have been dismissed for violations, including attacks on Palestinians.

Investigation of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights:

"According to information gathered by PCHR and eyewitness accounts, at around 12:00 on Monday, 02 March 2026, four settlers, including the guard of Shilo settlement established on the lands of Qaryout village, southeast of Nablus, headed towards Taha Mount, south of the village, accompanied by an excavator. The excavator began working on a plot of land belonging to Nour Freiz ‘Azem. When several Palestinian residents approached to see what the settlers were doing, the settlement’s guard and another settler with a gun advanced towards them and attempted to arrest Nabil Jamil Abu Morah, a resident of the area. His sons—Mohammed, Fahim, and Jamil—intervened to prevent his arrest. The settlement’s guard then opened fire to intimidate the residents, threatened them and photographed them with his mobile phone. Around five minutes later, the guard returned with more than 50 settlers, who began throwing stones at Mohammed Nabil Abu Morah (52) and damaging his property. Mohammed and his brothers, supported by their neighbors, confronted the settlers by throwing stones in response. The settlement’s guard and another settler took cover behind an olive tree about 20 meters away and opened fire at Mohammed, shooting him in the head. His brother Fahim (48) was also shot in the pelvis. Their brother Jamil attempted to evacuate them with the assistance of neighbors and placed them in a civilian vehicle to transport them to Qablan Clinic. During the continued settlers’ attack, Jamil was struck by two bullets in his right leg. All three were transferred to Qablan Clinic and later referred to Rafidia Governmental Hospital in Nablus. Two other Palestinians, including a child, were also wounded in their limbs after the armed settler accompanying the settlement’s guard opened fire at them. At approximately 13:20, medical personnel at Rafidia Governmental Hospital declared the deaths of Mohammed and Fahim after they succumbed to their wounds"