Police in the West Bank opened an investigation on Wednesday into an incident in Masafer Yatta in which the suspect was allegedly seen in a video circulating online brutally beating an animal, as well as attacking a woman and a child.
Evidence and testimony were collected at the scene, and police have begun searching for the suspect.
The video, reviewed by The Jerusalem Post, appears to show a young man wearing tzitzit, traditional Jewish clothing, physically assaulting several people and hitting a dog with a stick repeatedly as onlookers call out in Arabic. According to Israel's Channel 13, the onlookers encouraged one another to film the act.
Israeli settler brutally beats dog in Atara
A similar incident occured two weeks earlier in the West Bank village of Atara, when an Israeli settler was filmed beating a dog, and police responded by saying they were opening up an investigation, according to Israeli news outlets.
The dog, Lucy, was heavily injured, but her condition stabilized after she received veterinary care.
Herzog: It is forbidden to take the law into our own hands
President Isaac Herzog spoke on May 24 about the pervasive issue of settler violence in the West Bank during his speech at the ceremony for the 2026 Jerusalem Unity Prize.
"We are witnessing a terrible wave of violence carried out by an anarchist mob. Acts that defile and violate every basic moral, legal, or Jewish norm," Herzog said.
"Our people are a magnificent people with enormous strength, but we must draw red lines," Herzog added. "It is forbidden to take the law into our own hands, and it is forbidden to harm members of other religions."