Illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers invaded the village of Ein Samia, east of Kafr Malek near Ramallah, in the central part of the occupied West Bank, on Sunday evening, launching renewed attacks on vital water infrastructure.
Surveillance cameras were destroyed, and essential equipment was tampered with, according to a statement from the Jerusalem Water Undertaking, which confirmed it had lost operational control over the wells due to severed communications and internet access.
The disruption threatens to halt water pumping entirely, exacerbating an already critical water crisis for tens of thousands of Palestinians who rely on the Ein Samia wells.
Human rights and humanitarian organizations, both local and international, have been urgently called upon to intervene, as the attacks directly undermine access to water and the right to life.
The Jerusalem Water Undertaking warned that these repeated assaults target one of the most essential groundwater sources in the region.
Ein Samia contains five active wells, with depths ranging from 100 to 500 meters, and produces approximately 12,000 cubic meters of water daily, accounting for 17% of the utility’s total daily supply.
The wells serve 19 communities directly, including Deir Dibwan, Burqa, Beitin, Ein Yabrud, Kafr Malik, Taybeh, Ramon, Deir Jarir, Silwad, Al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya, Abu Falah, Al-Mughayyir, Turmus Ayya, Sinjil, Jaljulia, Abwein, ‘Arura, and Nubani farms.
An additional 14 communities, including Dura al-Qare’, Jalazone refugee camp, Jifna, Ein Siniya, Birzeit, Birzeit University, Abu Qash, ‘Atara, Deir Sudan, ‘Ajjul, Jibiya, Barham, Kobar, Abu Shkheidim, and Al-Mazra’a al-Qibliya, receive water jointly via the Ramallah station.
Altogether, nearly 110,000 Palestinians depend on Ein Samia’s wells for full or partial access to water. The repeated invasions by armed colonizers, which have intensified since the start of the genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, are part of a broader campaign targeting civilian infrastructure and deepening the humanitarian crisis across the West Bank.
