The sturdy bolted entrance to the Abu Alia family enclosure in al-Mughayyir village withstood repeated strikes from teenage settlers who pounded it with clubs causing the metal bars to echo loudly.

Yet verbal exchanges flew back and forth through the bars without hindrance.

One harsh insult nearly the same in Hebrew and Arabic was spoken with casual disdain by the Israeli youths striking the entrance and with alarm and irritation by the Palestinian man just inches away on the opposite side recording the scene on his device.

This entrance at the perimeter of al-Mughayyir has turned into a regular battle line in the contest for the occupied West Bank. Similar assaults by settlers on Palestinian residences occur routinely in communities throughout the area.

When we reached al-Mughayyir the clash at the Abu Alia enclosure was already underway.

Israeli troops and border police were advancing along the streets while locals dashed from their cars viewing soldiers and settlers alike as adversaries. Some youths pushed stones into the path to obstruct it amid the echo of gunfire over the settlement.

From the rise above the local mosque urged residents to assist the family surrounded by settlers. Yet evading Israeli forces has turned into a risky move. Locals aid workers and reporters have all faced gunfire during military actions in the West Bank.

This counts as an ordinary weekend in al-Mughayyir and similar villages across the West Bank though it seldom reaches wider attention.

We stayed for a week near al-Mughayyir and the nearby community of Khirbet Abu Falah to observe daily conditions for one group or household.

Our observations reveal how swiftly authority over this terrain is shifting and how isolated settler incidents here form part of a broader effort to place West Bank land under Israeli authority.

Since taking the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East conflict Israel has constructed over 100 settlements housing more than half a million Jews on territory Palestinians seek for a future state. Some Israeli settlers have also set up hundreds of unauthorized outposts often beginning with one tent or caravan on a hill and frequently near Palestinian homes. Both official settlements and outposts violate international law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has portrayed those involved in settler assaults as a small number of wayward youths calling them 150 juvenile offenders or 70 teens from unstable backgrounds.

The settlers striking the Abu Alia entrance that Saturday in al-Mughayyir appeared mostly youthful but earlier a settler group had issued an online appeal to drive out the adversary including a Torah passage stating that failure to remove land inhabitants would leave them as thorns and spikes.

Beyond the young individuals at the al-Mughayyir entrance stood older settlers including at least one with a weapon positioned near Israeli troops close to the residence.

Palestinians in the West Bank widely hold that Israeli soldiers back settlers in such incidents.

Video from the Abu Alia family shows troops approaching the youths attacking the entrance and making mild efforts to direct them aside. These attempts fail as the youths return repeatedly to strike the entrance while a woman inside shouts for them to leave.

The troops present make no move to interrogate or hold the assailants or seize their clubs.

Additional footage from the Abu Alia enclosure appears to capture young settlers damaging fencing around the property as troops stand nearby helmets removed and phones in hand.

In one image a power tool like an angle grinder rests on a log behind them. We later captured it with troops then with settlers then again with troops at the Abu Alias fence.

We inquired with the Israel Defence Forces about these events. They offered no specific account but noted in a general statement that claims of property damage were under review.

Rafeeq Abu Alia a family member present that day described the assault as following a standard sequence.

They arrived first thing with four armed settlers followed by more who surrounded the house with insults and provocations he said. They arrived alongside the army which entered and beat people inside.

We recorded troops attempting to force the Abu Alias entrance that day with settlers beside them. Later we saw workers repairing the damaged entry.

Medical staff reported treating several Palestinians for tear gas and assault injuries with another taken to hospital after a gunshot.

The IDF stated its forces were in al-Mughayyir responding to reports of a clash between Palestinians and Israeli civilians.

They said troops entered a house to search for stone throwers and separately detained one person in what they termed a violent disturbance.

They noted investigations into soldier violence claims.

They also reported masked Palestinians using slings to throw stones at troops prompting live fire with a hit confirmed.

Engagement rules for Israeli forces in the West Bank were relaxed after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks to permit live fire against stone throwers.

Our multiple requests to film with the IDF on West Bank patrols this year remain unanswered.

As Israeli forces deployed live rounds stun grenades and tear gas into al-Mughayyir we proceeded along a mostly deserted road toward the Abu Alia enclosure to assess the scene directly.

Two troops appeared meters ahead. Our local Palestinian producer spotted them first. As we filmed one raised his weapon toward us.

We retreated to a nearby roof for safety with the army vehicle visible below. Seconds later they signaled us to cease filming. One aimed a tear gas launcher our way. We stepped back from the edge. No shot was fired.

Reaching such stories grows tougher even for accredited journalists. Palestinian medics report routine blocks as well.

An ambulance worker with the Palestinian Red Crescent described soldiers taking his vehicle keys during a response to a settler attack in al-Mughayyir after ordering the engine off.

If told to remain we must wait no matter the circumstances he said. This occurs constantly.

Al-Mughayyir is a remote village ringed by zones left under full Israeli control in the Oslo process three decades ago which later failed. In recent years unauthorized settler outposts illegal under Israeli and international law have proliferated around it.

Village council member Abu Waheed said settlers enter al-Mughayyir daily and that troops follow settler instructions.

They arrive with army vehicles he said. The army and settlers are one just in green uniforms.

Many Israeli troops here are settlers themselves viewing the West Bank as divinely granted land.

Thousands of settlers joined local security units after the 7 October attacks and received arms with limited screening or preparation.

Army data indicate most such units have since been dissolved after numerous abuse reports against Palestinian residents.

None of the outposts we approached near al-Mughayyir replied to interview requests.

Yet one settler from a nearby outpost recently spoke to an Israeli documentary crew about his security squad role.

We residents are conducting a conquest here Adar Lafair told the Kan 11 team. We settle land we once could not approach. Arabs held this zone but now we are present.

His wife Rivka expressed hope that squads could conquer a nearby Palestinian village.

She described outpost formation as achieved by 17 year old youths without arms who fought for the land and asserted control.

We hold authority over this land she said. It should not fall to teens on a hill to secure the entire people of Israel. The army should clear the path.

One Israeli soldier who served in the West Bank recently shared that extremist settlers viewed him as an opponent for not backing their assaults. He requested anonymity.

Teens there regard you with hostility he said. One threatened to put a bullet in my head.

He indicated the attacks involve more than a few radical youths.

Bodies supply them with ideology food water logistical aid and guidance on execution.

Regarding settler claims of unreported Palestinian attacks he said that did not align with his observations.

In Palestinian faces I saw only fear he said. No fear appeared on Jewish residents. They sense no law applies and can attack openly without consequence.

In the week we visited the UN recorded 45 Palestinians injured by settlers across the West Bank including 12 children.

It notes settler related injuries have climbed to over three daily since the year began.

Settler assaults have increased alongside outpost growth.

These outposts are illegal under Israeli law yet Israel has provided roads electricity and legalized dozens after establishment.

The Israeli group Peace Now tracking settlements reports at least 231 new outposts created under the current government.

Some used as shepherding farms now control 18 percent of the West Bank displacing over 100 Palestinian communities it states.

At a July settler leaders conference West Bank IDF commander Maj Gen Avi Bluth said farm outposts align well with Israels security approach if matched by operational ethical and legal conduct.

All this greatly bolsters security he said.

Israels government has allocated 19bn shekels 6.2bn dollars to West Bank settlement expansion and seeks another 600m shekels 196m dollars for programs according to Peace Now.

The government including religious nationalist settlers in cabinet has ended a 20 year ban on Israeli settlement near the Palestinian city of Jenin in the northern territory.

It advances construction on more than a dozen settlements there plus new military sites including one beside the Jenin refugee camp the first such seizure in an Oslo Accords area under full Palestinian control.