On April 19, 2025, Israeli settlers kidnapped two Palestinian children from the outskirts of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, tying them to an olive tree in a remote area.

The victims, 13-year-old Maryam and her 3-year-old brother Ahmed, were playing near their home with their siblings and their cousins when settlers from a new outpost abducted them. A relative who tried to intervene was attacked with stones.

Local residents rescued the children, who were found unconscious and remain in psychological distress. The Israeli army was not present during the incident.

Mohammed Hanani, the children's uncle, said his two daughters and their cousins were playing outside their home when a group of settlers arrived.The settlers kidnapped 13-year-old Maryam and her three-year-old brother Ahmed, taking them to a remote area where they tied them to an olive tree.

One of their cousins tried to intervene but settlers attacked him with stones. "My two little girls came crying and screaming, so we chased after the settlers.We eventually found the children unconscious and tied to a tree. The settlers had fled to the outpost on an ATV."

This marks the first reported child kidnapping in the town amid a rise in settler violence since the start of the Genocide on Gaza.

Investigation by Defense for Children- Palestine:

Ramallah, May 8, 2025—Israeli settlers attacked young Palestinian children and tied them to an olive tree in the northern occupied West Bank in April. Maryam Omar Rebhi Shehadeh, 10, her siblings, and two cousins were attacked by Israeli settlers around 5:30 p.m. on April 19 in the Al-Dhubat neighborhood of Beit Furik, a Palestinian town southeast of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Maryam was playing behind her home with the other children, located about 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the Itamar settlement wall, when an Israeli settler emerged from nearby olive trees. The settler covered Maryam’s mouth with one hand and grabbed her neck with the other, pulling her away. A second settler, armed with a knife, threatened Maryam’s cousins and threw stones at them, causing them to run away. Maryam’s three-year-old brother Ahmad tried to help her, following her as the settlers dragged her away. The settlers then dragged Maryam and Ahmad about 200 meters (656 feet) away and bound them to an olive tree with rope before driving away on a quad bike. “Israeli settlers almost never face any consequences for attacking Palestinians, including children,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Palestinian children like Maryam and Ahmad who grow up close to Israeli settlements are far more likely to face violence at the hands of Israeli settlers who act with complete impunity.” “Five minutes later, my father, uncles, and villagers arrived to find us tied up,” Maryam told DCIP. “They quickly untied us and began searching for the settlers who had fled. We were taken home, but I was overwhelmed with fear from the kidnapping attempt, leaving me feeling insecure in our area. My younger brother Ahmad also showed signs of distress.”