Employees of the Palestinian Authority allegedly damaged a water pipe on Tuesday that supplies water to the Shepherds' Spring pool, located between Samaria and the Jordan Valley. The wading pool was constructed in memory of Jewish shepherds Harel Masoud and Nachman Shmuel Mordoff, who were murdered in a June 2023 shooting attack in Eli.
The spring was recently refurbished at a cost of tens of thousands of shekels, funded by private donors. Upon the completion of the work, the area's residents were shocked to see that the pipe meant to carry water from the spring to the pool had been intentionally cut.
Shepherds Spring, also known as Ein Samiya, is the largest spring in the area. Since 1965, its water has been flowing to Ramallah and nearby Arab villages, causing the Yitav stream to dry up as well as severe ecological damage.
According to the residents, on Tuesday, PA employees damaged the pipe that carried water to the nearby wading pool. They claim that the employees aimed to offend the memory of the shepherds and to reduce Jewish presence in the area.
