Palestinians Claimed Settlers Set Fire to a Home; Police Investigation Revealed a Different Cause

A Palestinian claim that Israelis entered a village overnight and set fire to a residential building near Beit Amra was ruled out today (Thursday), after police and Fire and Rescue investigators completed their examination of the fire scene. The investigation concluded that the fire broke out due to an electrical failure, not deliberate arson.

The incident began in the morning, when the Judea and Samaria District Police received a report of a fire in a Palestinian residential building, along with an allegation that Israelis were behind it. No one was injured in the incident. Palestinian residents claimed that "settler militias" entered the village overnight and set the building on fire.

Later, when military personnel entered the village to investigate the incident and determine its circumstances, they were given another account, according to which there were "Jews shouting in Hebrew" outside the house. Following these allegations, officials decided to conduct a professional examination of the scene in order to determine the source of the fire.

Officers from the Hebron police station in the Judea region arrived at the site together with a forensic investigator from the Judea and Samaria District Police and a Fire and Rescue investigator in Judea and Samaria. To carry out the investigation, the forces went deep into the area under IDF security.

During the examination, investigators collected extensive evidence from the fire scene and examined the fire's point of origin and possible causes. The findings led the fire investigator and forensic personnel to conclude that an electrical short circuit at the site caused the blaze.

In addition to determining the source of the fire, investigators also checked whether there were signs at the scene that could support suspicions of arson. The examination found no traces of fire accelerant, a finding that reinforced the conclusion that the fire was not deliberately set. The claim that Jews entered the area overnight was likewise not supported by evidence uncovered during the investigation.