Escalation of Settler Attacks in the West Bank: Homes and Facilities Burned, Citizens Injured

Villages and towns in the occupied West Bank have witnessed a dangerous escalation in settler attacks since yesterday, resulting in injuries to seven citizens. These attacks coincided with a raid campaign carried out by occupation forces, which led to the arrest of six Palestinians, including four young men from the town of Tuqu' and two children from the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.

In Nablus Governorate, field sources reported that three citizens were injured at dawn today, Sunday, following an attack by settlers on the village of Jalud. The attack involved setting fire to the village's local council headquarters, in addition to burning four vehicles, three of which were completely charred by the raging fire.

The attacks did not stop at Nablus but extended to the town of Bruqin in Salfit Governorate, where three Palestinians sustained various bruises. These injuries occurred after a group of settlers directly pelted their vehicle with stones as they passed through the area, leading to the shattering of the vehicle's windows and injuries to those inside.

In Jenin Governorate, video clips documented harsh scenes of homes and vehicles burning in the village of Al-Fandaqumiya, south of the governorate, due to settler attacks. The recordings showed fires igniting in more than one home, a step that reflects the extent of settler encroachment and the targeting of the private property of unarmed citizens.

A Palestinian citizen in the town of Silat ad-Dhahr, southwest of Jenin, was also subjected to a brutal beating by a group of settlers. The assault occurred while the settlers were attempting to burn the citizen's home, resulting in bruises and injuries that required medical intervention, amidst a state of panic among the residents of the area.

In the northern Jordan Valley, settlers attacked the Ein al-Hilweh residential community, where they used pepper spray directly and harmfully against the residents. In a related context, citizens' vehicles were pelted with stones near the 'Kedumim' settlement in Qalqilya, with no human injuries reported in that incident.

Official data issued by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission indicates that last February alone witnessed 511 attacks carried out by settlers. The commission confirmed that these attacks led to the martyrdom of seven Palestinians by settler bullets, which indicates that these groups are being given a green light to commit violence.

Since the outbreak of the war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the death toll from army and settler attacks in the West Bank has reached 1133 martyrs. Medical and human rights teams also recorded injuries to approximately 11,700 citizens, while arrests exceeded 22,000 cases under harsh conditions.

Settlers carried out 511 attacks in the West Bank last February, leading to the martyrdom of 7 Palestinians by their bullets.