The Hilltop Youth is a movement whose members primarily live in illegal settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank and are known for opposing efforts to remove them.
The group has frequently been linked to attacks against Palestinians and is considered the ideological nucleus of the extremist “Price Tag” movement, which has carried out attacks against Palestinians and their property.
Founded in 1998, the movement is largely composed of Israelis aged between 16 and 26, who left their homes and schools to live in illegal settlement outposts built on hilltops overlooking Palestinian communities.
The group is considered an offshoot of the extremist movement Gush Emunim, which advocates expanded Jewish settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to Israeli and Palestinian rights groups, violence by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank has increased significantly in recent years, including attacks on Palestinian communities, farmland and property.
Since October 8, 2023, at least 1,169 Palestinians have been killed, 12,666 injured, around 23,000 arrested and approximately 33,000 displaced in the occupied West Bank amid intensified Israeli attacks and illegal settler assaults, according to Palestinian figures.
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