West Bank settlers steal Palestinian family’s sheep herd ahead of Eid festival
About 4,000 head of livestock have been stolen by settlers since the start of 2026, according to Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture
Instead of celebrating, Rasheed has been left with nothing and has also been deprived of the income she would have received from selling the sheep not used by her family.
The settlers stole around 45 sheep from her home in Masafer Yatta, a collection of Palestinian hamlets near Hebron, she said. Before the theft, they stole the family’s guard dogs, so no one was alerted when the men broke in before dawn on Thursday and herded the animals away.
“This is our livelihood, my husband and I live from the income from these sheep. I don’t have anything to get treatment for my husband or spend on myself,” said Rasheed, whose husband has cancer.
Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s two main festivals, marks the climax of the annual haj pilgrimage, when Muslims slaughter animals to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son on God’s command, often distributing meat to the poor.