Settler-led hagmar units blur lines between IDF and militias in West Bank
Since Oct 2023, thousands of settler residents across the West Bank have been mobilized into Hagmar regional defence units, armed and often operating with little oversight, effectively creating settler militias within the IDF. They can act with near-parallel authority to regular troops, sometimes arriving before or directing regular forces, and have been linked to increased violence against Palestinians, including property destruction, intimidation, and at least one killing. The UN warns this ‘settler-soldier’ phenomenon blurs the line between state and settler violence and signals a profound shift in security dynamics. While the IDF says most reservists follow rules and some have faced investigations, hundreds of hagmar remain deployed after a peak of about 7,000 mobilized, marking a significant escalation in West Bank operations.