Settlers Attack Village of Jit, Killing Rashid Sedda, 23.

Masked Settlers, Molotov Cocktails, and Murder: The Past 36 Hours in Jit, Qalqiliya.

A young girl cries over the body of Rashid Sedda, 23, as he is carried through the family home during the funeral procession. (©Brendan F. Rains)

In the late hours of Thursday, Jewish settlers raided the Palestinian village of Jit. Armed with small arms, gasoline, and molotov cocktails, they firebombed cars, doused living rooms with gasoline, and fatally shot Rashid Sedda, 23.

Jit, seen left, is located about 10km west of Nablus, and is located in the Qalqiliya Governorate. In 2017, the population was 2,405. (Image taken from Google Maps)

The night of the attack on Thursday, masked settlers stormed the village, burning cars and throwing molotov cocktails through windows and fences. While their exact motives are still unclear, many in the village believe this attack — one they say is the most viscous yet — exists to destabilize Palestinian life in the area.

Remains of an automobile outside of one of the homes firebombed in the Thursday attack. (©Brendan F. Rains)

The following day, I spoke with Abed Al-Rahman At Suddeh, a relative of the homeowners who was present to assess the damage. He pointed out locations on the property that were firebombed, pointing out the completely skeletonized and soot-covered remains of the roof over the home’s front door and windows that had been broken with rocks in an attempt to create a means for molotov cocktails to be thrown inside.

Residents of the home pictured standing in the firebombed entryway (Frames 1 and 2). Abed gazes down at his cousins burned front porch, adjacent are the burned trees and automobiles (Frame 3). (©Brendan F. Rains)

In between the home invasions, broken windows, and arson attacks, Rashid Sedda, a 23 year old resident of the village, was shot fatally in the chest by settlers. Those in the village, reported seeing settlers carrying M16-style small arms, a select-fire military rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO.

5.56x45 NATO rounds lying on the ground, approximately 400 meters away from the firebombed home. (©Brendan F. Rains)

A man from the village ushered journalists up the road towards an olive tree orchard which had been partially burned. On the ground, were three rounds of 5.56 NATO. The round on the left, features a deformation along the neck of the cartridge (brass) and divot on the bullet (copper). These deformations are indicative of a Type III malfunction or a “double feed”, which is most likely to occur during automatic fire and often results in the user having to purge several rounds of live ammunition from their firearm and magazine.

A group of men wait in the shade for Rashid’s body to be released from the medical examiner. (©Brendan F. Rains)

Hundreds gathered for Rashid’s burial on Friday. His body was processed through the village, stopping at several points to be mourned by family, neighbors, and others in attendance.

Women cry and await the procession of Rashid’s body. (©Brendan F. Rains)

Rashid’s mother cradles the face of her deceased son wrapped in the Palestinian flag. (©Brendan F. Rains)

On the street outside of the family home, a young girl cries over the murder of Rashid Seddah. (©Brendan F. Rains)

Men prepare to lower the body of Rashid Seddah into his grave. (©Brendan F. Rains)

Water and clay is mixed and made into clumps to tightly pack the graves of the deceased. (©Brendan F. Rains)

Men gather around the grave of Rashid Seddah, as he is burried. (©Brendan F. Rains)

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: As of Saturday, August 17th, the IDF is present the Palestinian village of Jit, and is conducting an investigation of the actions of its forces during the Thursday night attacks. The White House and Netanyahu condemned the attacks and mentioned apprehensions and trials, but those in the area remain despondent over the historical lack of government oversight and justice in the West Bank.