Dozens of rioters from the Palestinian Arab village of Khirbet Abu Falah attacked a Jewish shepherd on Thursday afternoon in the Binyamin region.
The incident, which ended with the shepherd suffering from a head injury, was classified by locals as an "attempted lynching" that ended in a miracle.
The attack began when dozens of Arab rioters took advantage of the topography and the olive groves near the community of Adi-Ad to approach the shepherd undetected.
The assailants surrounded the victim and began striking him with rocks and clubs. Despite his injuries, the shepherd managed to pull out his cellphone and call for help from the military and the residents of the nearby hilltops, before contact with him was lost.
For several minutes, the shepherd's fate was uncertain, but then, military forces reached the scene and found him lying on the ground, bleeding from his head. However, his flock was gone.
After searching, troops and area residents found some of the sheep. Suspicion is growing that the rioters took advantage of the commotion to steal some of the sheep and smuggle them into the village of Abu Falah.
After undergoing medical treatment, the shepherd recounted the moments of terror: "Suddenly Arabs surrounded me from all directions, I didn't understand what was happening. A masked Arab, armed with a large club, began beating me on the head. At the same time, I was hit by volleys of rocks from all directions. My entire body hurts. I survived by way of a miracle."
Of late, there has been a substantial uptick in attacks on shepherds across Judea and Samaria, accompanied by growing incitement in villages calling to attack communities and farms.