The Robbery of Gold in the West Bank: Escalating Crime or Lack of Deterrence?

Exclusive to SadaNews: In a scene that raises concern and calls for serious action, the city of Hebron witnessed one of the largest robberies of gold shops in the West Bank, marking the second of its kind in less than two years after the infamous Tulkarem incident. These crimes do not only target property but deeply strike at the feeling of community safety, prompting families and clans to take unprecedented steps to protect themselves and their interests, amid increasing demands to enhance deterrent measures and pursue the perpetrators.

In the Bab al-Zawiya area of Hebron, a gold shop belonging to the Harb family was subjected to an armed robbery yesterday, resulting in the theft of a large amount of gold estimated at 35 kilograms, along with nearly half a million Jordanian dinars and 130,000 dollars in cash. The total value of the stolen items is approximately 4.5 million dollars. The attack also led to the serious injury of the shop owner's son, who was shot and is now in critical condition.

In response to this incident, the Harb clan announced the closure of all its commercial shops in Palestinian cities for two days (Monday and Tuesday), putting up signs on the shop fronts stating: "Shop closed due to lack of security and safety." The clan also affirmed in its statement that it will take more stringent steps to protect its assets, reaching the point of legally and tribally holding accountable the offenders.

As for Al-Masa Company for Gold and Diamonds, which was a victim of a similar robbery a year and four months ago in Tulkarem, it announced its full solidarity with the Harb clan and closed its shops on Monday, September 29, 2025. In its statement, it said: "Given that it has been a year and four months since the cowardly robbery we were subjected to, which exceeded to reach our brothers the Harb family, and there is no deterrent to deter these cowards."

The Tulkarem incident, which remains open to this day, resulted in the theft of about 100 kilograms of gold valued at approximately 35 million shekels after the perpetrators stormed the homes and shops of the Al-Shantir family while wearing Israeli army uniforms, claiming to be members of it. Despite more than a year passing, there has been no announcement of recovering the stolen goods or holding the perpetrators accountable, despite the family confirming that the offenders are known by name and description to the relevant authorities.

The recurrence of these incidents poses serious challenges to the local community and calls for enhanced coordination between official and tribal authorities to ensure the protection of properties and deter aggressors. As calls for taking more stringent actions intensify, the need for effective movement has become urgent to achieve justice and restore reassurance in the Palestinian street.