More than four weeks after being shot in the thigh by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the West Bank Palestinian village of al Mughayyir, Hussam Abu Alia remains in Ramallah Hospital.
Doctors were able to prevent his leg from being amputated thanks to the prompt actions of the ambulance crew and medics on the day he was shot.
However, a doctor speaking exclusively to the Canary, says that Abu Alia is still at risk of losing some of his toes.
They added that he is still under observation but is otherwise, doing very well.
‘Amputation is inevitable’ for Palestinian
The doctor, who asked to remain anonymous, said:
The most accepted opinion right now is that they might amputate three of his toes. In my medical opinion, amputation is inevitable. It will happen, because I already saw his toes. They are black, they are literally dead. I expected them to amputate at the thigh level, but luckily he got to the hospital so fast.
Hussam Abu Alia was one of four Palestinians in the West Bank village of al Mughayyir to be shot by the IOF on 30 August.
The first person was shot at the village entrance in his thigh. The second was leaving the supermarket when he was shot in his stomach. Abu Alia and another al Mughayyir resident — who was shot three times in both legs and his stomach — were shot near their homes.
Problems began when settlers stormed the village, accusing residents of poisoning their livestock.
The doctor continued:
Hussam was literally standing there, doing nothing, just looking at the people getting attacked by the settlers. Then the military vehicle passed by and saw him. The soldier was only about five metres away when he shot him. The close distance is why the bullet was so destructive.
Medics carried out several surgeries to repair an artery in Abu Alia’s leg, wounded from the gun shot. Due to the blood supply been cut off for several hours, blood in the vessels going to his foot and toes were clotting.
Right now they are trying to fix as much of his limb that they can, but whatever happens he will live with a permanent disability. He is struggling, but he is still fighting and trying to do his best.
When the Canary interviewed one of the first responders shortly after the attack, he said only Abu Alia’s injury was serious enough to need ICU care.
This is a serious injury and he is in the ICU. Doctors are trying to reconstruct his artery, but they aren’t optimistic. There’s a high probability they may amputate his leg. His life will then be completely changed, as he is a father to young children, and works in construction. He won’t be able to work anymore. Everyone is thinking about him right now in the village.
What happened on 30 August 2026?
Soldiers and masked settlers collected at the entrance of al Mughayyir, on the western edge of the village. They besieged one of the homes there after failing to break into it earlier in the day. Some of the settlers stole equipment from the house’s yard.
A group of settlers also grazed their sheep on farmland in front of the village school. They were accompanied by the occupation soldiers. When residents confronted them, the soldiers attacked with live fire.
There was a large number of military in the village at the time, with 14 or 15 military jeeps present. They established a checkpoint at al Mughayyir’s only entrance, which prevented residents from entering or exiting the village, adding to the danger they already faced.
The soldier shot ‘anything in his sight’
At the time, one resident told the Canary:
The settlers attacked the village, saying three sheep died because of the poisoning. When they entered al Mughayyir, from the way they were behaving, we knew they wanted to hurt the people as a collective punishment, as a revenge. Then one of the army vehicles drove into the village. The soldier started shooting anyone in his sight.
First responders dealt with the injuries, stabilising them before they were sent to hospital. One of them spoke with us, and said although the situation was serious, it could have been much worse.
We were lucky that day. When I was working, I heard all the shooting and thought we would lose a lot of people that day. I am hoping no one dies from their injuries, but it was really bad.
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Two days before the shootings, military vehicles blocked access to the village while settlers attacked vehicles attempting to cross. Then, at around 8pm, Israeli occupation soldiers, police and settlers entered a Palestinian home and claimed the occupants had stolen sheep from the settlers. They then went to the family’s sheep pen and shot dead two of the animals.
When the residents at the house confronted them, a settler shot one of the family’s sons. The others in the house were beaten and three were detained by the IOF.
The settlers, accompanied by the military for support and protection, then moved to the other side of town.
They stole sheep from the Abu Hamman’s family, which was previously displaced by settler and military violence from the al-Khaleel area of the village. They had then relocated their livestock to the area which was now under attack.
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Al Mughayyir surrounded by 11 illegal outposts
Residents tell us the settlers have a trick to aid the theft of their livestock. They film the villager’s sheep before going to the army to say these sheep have been stolen from them. The army then accuses Palestinians of theft, often detaining them.
Al Mughayyir is now surrounded by 10 illegal settler outposts. Although residents do their best to defend their land and loved ones, they are left defenceless against armed violence and impunity.
More than 43,000 dunums of land in the village — the equivalent of 4,300 hectares, or 6000 standard football pitches— have so far been taken by the Israeli occupation. Less than 1,000 dunums are left for residents to use.
Until recently, farming played an important part in residents’ lives and provided food and an income. But expanding settler outposts, as well as increasing violence by both these illegal colonists and the occupation’s military, mean this way of life, and source of income, is rapidly ending.
The occupation has intentionally destroyed thousands of olive trees, set crops alight, and ensured Palestinians are left with livestock that are either unable to graze the land, due to settler intimidation, or are increasingly being stolen. The violence continues to escalate.
Palestinian residents remain defiant despite violence
Three weeks after the shootings occurred, the first responder says:
Now everyone is feeling tense, watching, waiting, and expecting more violence, but no one knows when it will occur. Day by day, it is getting worse and worse here. The village entrance is very often closed, but you don’t know when. This is really a problem if there is an emergency in the village.
The Palestinian Authority ended up coordinating with the Zionists this time, so they would allow ambulances carrying the injured to get out of the village to hospital. I think the purpose is to ethnically cleanse our village — this is just the starters. But most of the villagers are not planning to leave.
This is our land. And the people are already poor here. Nobody can afford to live outside the village, and pay rent somewhere else.
The checkpoint closures not only prevent access in emergencies.
Marzouk Abu Naim, head of al Mughayyir Village Council, says they are also intended to affect the livelihoods of the residents. They are also aimed at preventing business owners and employees from accessing their work outside of the village.
He said:
It is a siege. We live under siege, and it is meant to eventually make life so impossible that we have no choice but be pushed out.
More than 1,540 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage have been recorded this year in the occupied West Bank. The monthly average is higher than in any other year on record.
Meanwhile, more than 3,800 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, have also been displaced in the region this year due to settler violence, demolitions and evictions.
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By Charlie Jaay
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