3 Palestinians injured in West Bank as Israeli forces, illegal settlers escalate attacks

By Aysar Alais and Ikram Kouachi

ISTANBUL (AA) – At least three Palestinians were injured Saturday during attacks by Israeli forces and illegal settlers across the occupied West Bank.

The victims include a 16-year-old boy shot by soldiers in the Qalandiya refugee camp north of Jerusalem, a 58-year-old man beaten by illegal settlers in Khirbet Ibziq in the northern Jordan Valley, and a 60-year-old man shot during a military raid in Tulkarm, local sources and the Palestinian Red Crescent reported.

Israeli troops also detained foreign activists for several hours in Khirbet Ibziq before releasing them.

The military conducted raids in Tulkarm, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Ramallah, searching homes and schools, while arresting six Palestinians in Tulkarm.

Meanwhile, illegal settlers, often under army protection, attacked Palestinian homes, farmland, and livestock across Jerusalem, Nablus, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, and the northern Jordan Valley.

In Jib, northeast of Jerusalem, illegal settlers set fire to several homes, causing extensive property damage and spreading fear among residents.

Farmers in Khirbet Ibziq and olive growers in Bethlehem and Hebron were also harassed or threatened, and Bedouin communities near Jericho reported property destruction and invasions.

These attacks form part of a broader pattern of daily raids, arbitrary arrests, and illegal settler violence in the occupied West Bank, often aimed at displacing Palestinians and expanding illegal settlements.

Since the escalation of hostilities in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,020 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, injured roughly 7,000, and arrested over 19,000.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal in an advisory opinion, urging the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.