Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinians across occupied West Bank
RAMALLAH, Palestine/ISTANBUL
Illegal Israeli settlers launched attacks on Palestinians in areas of the occupied West Bank on Tuesday evening.
In Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya in southern Nablus, illegal settlers blocked the main road adjacent to the village and pelted Palestinian vehicles with stones, witnesses told Anadolu.
The Palestinian news agency, Wafa, said dozens of illegal settlers, under Israeli military protection, stormed the village’s outskirts, sealed the main entrance and blocked the Ramallah-Nablus Road passing through the village.
North of the West Bank, Israeli forces issued stop-work and demolition notices for homes and structures in Bruqin, west of Salfit, targeting eight occupied residences and a livestock shelter, it said.
In Birzeit, north of Ramallah, clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers during a military raid, with no reported injuries or arrests, according to Wafa.
South of the West Bank, illegal settlers attacked a shepherd in Al-Minya, southeast of Bethlehem, attempting to seize his sheep before residents intervened, witnesses told Anadolu.
In Hebron, human rights activist Issa Amro reported to Anadolu that journalist and activist Muhannad Qafisha suffered severe beatings by Israeli soldiers in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood.
Earlier Tuesday, 13 journalists were injured in separate illegal settler and military assaults across the West Bank, an Anadolu correspondent reported.
Residents of the Khallat Al-Daba community, east of Yatta in southern Hebron, issued an urgent appeal to the international community, human rights organizations and Palestinian leadership for protection from Israeli forces and illegal settlers.
The appeal, distributed by the Al-Tuwani village council, accused illegal settlers of systematically targeting the community to force displacement.
Families reported that Israeli forces demolished homes and infrastructure in recent months, while illegal settlers invaded the area in large numbers, bringing sheep and camels, erecting tents and forcibly seizing Palestinian homes to establish a new settlement outpost.
“Sixteen families, totaling 120 people, are confined to tents and caves without international protection,” the statement said.
On May 5, Israeli forces demolished 25 homes, agricultural structures and water wells in Khallat Al-Daba, citing a lack of permits.
The official Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported 341 settler attacks in April against Palestinians and their properties in the occupied territory.
Since the start of the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 970 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers across the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
