Israeli settlers carry out series of West Bank attacks as security forces stand by | West Bank

Israeli settlers have launched a series of attacks in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes and vehicles and injuring scores of Palestinians in what witnesses described as coordinated raids on communities.

Violence, reported in at least half a dozen locations The tension that took place throughout the night from Saturday to Sunday came at a time when tensions in the region were increasing further. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing local sources, said settlers entered al-Fendekumiyah and the nearby town of Seilat al-Dahr, south of Jenin, late on Saturday.

Inside al-FendakumiyaAccording to Wafa, settlers set fire to houses and cars and broke the windows of other houses as residents “tried to confront them and put out the fires.” In Seilat al-Dahr, several houses were targeted and one resident was beaten and injured.

There were other attacks too Reported in Masafer Yatta, south of HebronWafa said two Palestinians were injured and three were arrested as a result of settlers entering the area protected by Israeli forces. In similar raids in the villages of Qaryout and Jaloud, south of Nablus, vehicles were burned and citizens were injured. Images from Jalud show a four-wheel drive vehicle reduced to a charred husk.

Elsewhere, settlers gathered on roads near Haris, west of Salfit, and near Rawabi in the Ramallah district, throwing stones at passing Palestinian vehicles. Similar incidents were reported in Tuqou, southeast of Bethlehem.

In Qaryout and Jaloud, approximately 100 masked settlers carried out successive waves of raids. Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos in which vehicles were set on fire and houses attacked. At least five cars were burned, while others, including a fire truck, were destroyed.

Israeli soldiers and police were present on the outskirts of the villages at 2am but did not stop attacks, which continued throughout the night, or prevent settlers from moving between villages, witnesses told the Guardian. Footage from CCTV camera shows a large group of hooded settlers dressed in black retreating from Jaloud.

The attacks, which occur during Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, form part of a wider escalation in settler violence that has intensified since the start of the war in Gaza. Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023, according to the UN.

Human rights organizations say such attacks often occur with little accountability. Israeli human rights group B’Tselem accused the government of allowing settler violence “as part of a strategy to consolidate the seizure of Palestinian land.” The UN has said Israel’s policies in the West Bank risk forcibly displacing Palestinian communities.

The Israeli army said it responded to incidents of “arson to structures and property” by Israeli civilians and disturbances in the area, but did not report any arrests.

Israeli forces shot and wounded two Palestinians at the Jabara checkpoint south of Tulkarem late Saturday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Yair Golan, leader of Israel’s centre-left Democrats, condemned the violence on Sunday and accused the government of fomenting lawlessness in the occupied West Bank.

He wrote of

“Jewish terrorism is spreading by exploiting the war, with the support of extremist ministers and the dangerous encouragement of the prime minister and the defense minister.”

”This is a failure to fulfill responsibility for Israel’s security.

B’Tselem reported that on March 15, Israeli troops operating in Tamoun in the northern Jordan Valley opened fire on a vehicle driving through the village, killing a Palestinian couple and their two children. Their names are Ali Bani Odeh, 38 years old; his wife Waad Bani Odeh, 36; and their sons, six-year-old Osman and five-year-old Muhammad.

”Soldiers took two more children out of the vehicle: Halid (11) and Mustafa (8). In the statement made by the group, it was stated that both of them were slightly injured due to shrapnel. ”They then interrogated Khalid violently at the scene. Initially, the army prevented ambulances from reaching the area and only after a while were medical teams allowed to approach. “The army seized the family’s vehicle, which was full of bullets.”

In another attack in March, Israeli settlers He sexually assaulted a Palestinian manAccording to the victim and eyewitnesses, he tied his genitals with zip ties and walked around naked in front of his family.

Israel has killed at least 26 Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of this year; at least 18 of them were shot by the military.