Israeli settlers are seizing Palestinian land under the cover of war

Hussein Khasib lives in constant fear, knowing he and his family could be next.

Over the past year, while much of the world's attention has been focused on the war on Gaza, several residents of Umm Safa - a picturesque village just 12km north of Ramallah - have been driven from their homes by armed settlers, often aided by the Israeli army.

Settler violence is not a new phenomenon in the occupied West Bank, where large swathes of territory are under Israeli civil and military control.

But since the war on Gaza erupted, land seizures and violent attacks aimed at forcing Palestinians to abandon their homes have spiked. The attacks have coincided with sweeping movement restrictions that have seen Palestinians denied access to cities, towns and villages.

In recent months, the settlers - emboldened by the election of far-right figures from the settlement movement - began levelling the al-Shami and Ras mountains near Umm Safa, with the aim of turning the area into a settlement outpost.

Read more: Israeli settlers are seizing Palestinian land under the cover of war