For decades, Palestinian shepherds have faced threats and violence at the hands of Israeli settlers. Dozens of rural farms like this one have already been abandoned as *** result, but such violence is only increasing. This is just one of several incidents documented by Israeli NGO Bitselem over recent months. The organization says dozens of settlers descended on the occupied West Bank village of El Mania in mid February, attacking homes, farming equipment, and even residents. While Israeli police forces demolished the outpost established in the village by settlers, but Selem says the outpost was later rebuilt that same day. Dozens of Palestinian herding communities have been impacted by the spread of outposts like this one, essentially undefined settlements, usually made up of small structures or caravans. Israeli anti-settlement watchdogs Peace Now and Kerem Navot say at least 49 outposts were established in the months following the October 7th attacks, an increase of nearly 50% since the beginning of the war in Gaza. As of last December, the groups estimate that herding outposts covered almost 14% of the occupied West Bank. That's an area of land roughly twice the size of Gaza. And that's in addition to approximately 150 officially recognized settlements that have already been established in the West Bank. Both outposts and settlements are considered illegal under international law. Satellite imagery analyzed by CNN shows how rapidly herding outposts have spread, as well as the gradual development of new roads connecting the outposts to established settlements, and in some cases cutting Palestinians off from the land that they depend on. In the northern village of El Fari, the local farming community has now been almost entirely depopulated. Back in February, we met the Derama family. At the time, still desperately clinging on to their land. These hills are full of areas for our animals to feed, but now there are settlers over here, over there, and another one over there. We can't access these areas, Ahmed says. The settlers come to scare our sheep and frighten our children. We've had to stop going up on the hills with our sheep, fearing they will come after us. Ahmed's family says they have lived here for generations, the land not only their home but also their livelihood. We've always lived here, Hussein says. Our whole lives are here. Where else can we go? Since filming, members of the Drama family told CNN they were left with no choice but to abandon their homes. Acts of violence by settlers from nearby outposts simply too much to bear. Activists say outposts like those around the village of Al Faria are established with the purpose of laying claim to Palestinian land and pressuring Palestinian communities to flee. Through threats, physical violence, and direct attacks on resources, including livestock and farming equipment, often with the protection from both the military and the state. CNN has reached out to the Israeli government about allegations of its support for illegal outposts but has not received *** response. The Israeli military told CNN that it condemns violence in any form and that police are tasked with handling any Israeli violations of the law. When asked about new roads we saw being developed around another nearby village, the IDF said the land had been seized for operational needs, adding that the route is intended for use by security forces and that it has been developed in accordance with military orders. It's important to understand that this projecting out campaign or this project is *** national project, *** state project. This is not *** project which is initiated by. Individuals, it's *** project which the state of Israel is standing behind it. It's budgeting, it's facilitating, it's protecting it. The Ministry of Settlements, for example, has budgeted for outposts which it calls young settlements, previously saying funds were carried out in accordance with all laws. But the displacement of Palestinian herding communities is just one part of *** deepening crisis in the West Bank. The UN says more than 40,000 Palestinians have been forced from their homes since February by an expanding Israeli military operation, with Israel's defense minister calling on the military to prevent the return of those displaced, stoking fears around the potential for *** full annexation of the territory and crushing hopes for *** pathway to *** viable Palestinian state. Nada Bashir, CNN in the occupied West Bank.