An Israeli settler entered a courtyard while another stood near a fence, trespassing on Palestinian property outside the West Bank town of Taybeh on Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Israeli settlers gathered while awaiting police after accusing Palestinians of setting a field ablaze near the West Bank village of Susya in the Masafer Yatta region on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Thalib prayed with other Palestinian men at dusk in their community near the West Bank village of Susya, in the Masafer Yatta region, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Saber, 32, bottle-fed a lamb in his community near the West Bank village of Susya, in the Masafer Yatta region, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Palestinian children played outside their homes in a community near the West Bank village of Susya, in the Masafer Yatta region, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Israeli activists and Palestinians from a local community observed settlers moving near the West Bank village of Susya, in the Masafer Yatta region, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Jibrin Abu Aram, 62, looked down while discussing settler attacks in his community near the West Bank village of Susya, in the Masafer Yatta region, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. "We are living like prisoners inside our homes," said the 62-year-old Palestinian. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Palestinian shepherd Ayman Draghme guided his flock back to his family's community in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Israeli soldiers stood beside an activist and sheep after stopping a young Palestinian man grazing his flock near his community in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A blindfolded Palestinian was detained by Israeli soldiers after being accused by Israeli settlers of setting a field on fire near the West Bank village of Susya, in the Masafer Yatta region, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Palestinians sat near a fire during a night watch to warn neighbors if Israeli settlers approached their community near the West Bank village of Susya, in the Masafer Yatta region, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
An Israeli settler outpost, visible top right, overlooked a Palestinian compound at dusk in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
An Israeli flag, placed by settlers, waved beside a fence around a Palestinian compound’s sheep pen at dusk in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A Palestinian used a flashlight while participating in a night watch to warn neighbors if Israeli settlers approached his community near the West Bank village of Susya, in the Masafer Yatta region, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
An Israeli activist recorded a settler moving with his donkey in front of a Palestinian house on the outskirts of the West Bank town of Taybeh on Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Ahmad, 15, drank water after being stopped by Israeli soldiers while grazing his flock near his community in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Yasser, 8, looked at the camera after taking a morning nap outside his house in a Palestinian community near the West Bank village of Susya, in the Masafer Yatta region, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A herd of sheep grazed on a hill as the sun rose over a Palestinian community in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A Palestinian shepherd led his flock of sheep away from his family compound in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Hamoudi, 10, washed his face while giving water to his family’s sheep at a Palestinian community in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
After Israeli soldiers instructed them to remain by the fence, Palestinians and an Israeli activist watched settlers arrive in a vehicle after settlers accused a local Palestinian resident of setting fire to a field near the West Bank village of Susya in the Masafer Yatta region on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Israeli flags lined a road in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Blue-and-white Israeli flags fluttered from hilltops and lined the roads of the occupied West Bank, signaling the expanding presence of Israeli settlements and outposts built on Palestinian land.
For shepherds in the Jordan Valley, as well as in Masafer Yatta, a cluster of villages in the southern West Bank, these flags and growing settlements have become unavoidable features of the landscape, serving as reminders of how daily life has contracted.
Thiab Draghme and his brother, Ayman, led their flock across the dry hills of the Jordan Valley, returning to their community after searching for grazing land. Their route is carefully selected; some pastures are no longer considered safe due to increased settler attacks, while others require Israeli activists walking alongside them to document encounters with settlers and Israeli troops and provide what they term a protective presence.
Shepherding has changed little across generations, but the risks associated with it have.
"We are people of generosity and hospitality," said Thiab, who is a father of eight. "We want to live in peace."
He noted that his children have grown up surrounded by Israeli demolitions, displacement, and uncertainty. "What kind of future is that for a child?"
Not far away, Jibrin Abu Aram, 62, stated he has been unable to harvest olives from his land since the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza began in October 2023.
"You see the ones in prison? We are the same, but inside our houses. Only sometimes we go outside. Yes, the people in prison, the doors are locked, and they enter and abuse them, and we are the same," said Aram, who resides near Susya in the southern West Bank.
According to the U.N. humanitarian agency, settler attacks have risen sharply in 2026. Between January and April, the agency documented 761 attacks linked to Israeli settlers and nearly 2,000 people displaced by violence and access restrictions. Entire communities have become increasingly isolated as new outposts expand across the surrounding hills.
The pressure extends beyond confrontations between settlers and Palestinians.
One morning, a dispute over a brush fire brought together settlers, Palestinians, soldiers, and police on a hillside. After settlers accused Palestinians of starting the blaze, one Palestinian and one Israeli activist were detained before being released later that day.
The expansion of settlements and related violence has compelled many Palestinian families to change their routines. Like the Draghme brothers, some shepherds no longer graze where they once did. Others have sold their flocks after determining the risk became too great.
Near the village of Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah, Shoma Kaabneh’s family sold all their sheep after an Israeli outpost was constructed close to their home. Her husband now works in construction, earning significantly less than what they once earned selling dairy products.
In another community in the northern Jordan Valley, a Palestinian family left an Israeli flag that settlers planted near their sheep pen, stating that removing it could provoke retaliation from settlers or soldiers.
As evening descended over the Masafer Yatta region, men gathered to pray outside homes. Nearby, settlers rode quad bikes before returning to an outpost several hundred meters away.
Residents organize night watches, taking turns staying awake to alert neighbors if Israeli settlers approach.
Each day begins similarly: Sheep are led into the hills; children play between tents and houses; families tend to their animals, repair fences, and prepare meals under a horizon increasingly dominated by Israeli construction aimed at pushing them away.
This story has been updated to correct the name and age of one of the shepherds and to replace a quote from another shepherd with the correct quote.