Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinian village near Ramallah, burn homes, farmlands

By Awad Rjoob and Rania Abu Shamala

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL (AA) – Illegal Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday evening, setting fire to homes and farmlands, witnesses and local media said.

The violence targeted a sheep farm, a residential home, and a horse stable in Deir Dibwan village, east of Ramallah, with settlers igniting large fires that sent thick plumes of smoke into the air, the official Voice of Palestine radio reported.

Videos published on the station’s Telegram account showed widespread flames and heavy smoke rising from the village.

The settler attacks also extended to olive trees and cultivated fields in the village, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

No information was yet available about injuries.

Since the start of the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 973 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.

The International Court of Justice declared last July that Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.