UPDATE - Child among 3 Palestinians injured by illegal Israeli settlers’ assaults in West Bank

UPDATES WITH NEW DETAILS, CHANGES IN LEDE, DECK ADDED

By Awad Rajoob, Mohammad Sio

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA)—Three Palestinians, including a child, were wounded by illegal Israeli settlers in two separate attacks in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, while a video released by media outlets showed Israeli soldiers assaulting a Palestinian man near Nablus.

In the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, village council head Amin Abu Alia told Anadolu that illegal settlers opened fire on residents, wounding two Palestinians.

“The situation is bad. Gunfire is ongoing on the southern side of the village. There are two injuries—a child and a young man who was shot in the back and is in critical condition,” Abu Alia said.

In a separate incident in the southern West Bank, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said a Palestinian man was injured after being beaten by illegal settlers in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron.

Israeli army forces obstructed its medical crews while they were attempting to provide assistance, the organization added.

In a separate development later Saturday, footage shared by Palestinian media outlets showed two Israeli soldiers assaulting a Palestinian man inside his vehicle in the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus.

The video appeared to show one soldier kicking the man and smashing the vehicle’s window with his weapon.

Beit Furik Mayor Aref Hanni told Anadolu the assault occurred in the afternoon without provocation in the western part of the town, near the Israeli settlement of Itamar.

He identified the victim as Mohammed Al-Shouli, in his forties, who sustained minor injuries and bruises and was taken to a local health center for treatment.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Al-Shouli was attacked after his vehicle was targeted and shot at, with its windows shattered.

Wafa also said a group of illegal settlers attacked the Al-Dubbat neighborhood in Beit Furik under the protection of Israeli soldiers, who fired heavily as residents attempted to confront them.

Earlier Saturday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said its crews transferred a child to the hospital after he was shot in the foot during an Israeli military incursion into Beit Furik.

Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the outbreak of the Gaza genocide in October 2023, which lasted two years and included widespread killing, arrests, displacement, and settlement expansion.

According to Palestinian official data, the violence has resulted in the deaths of 1,116 Palestinians and injuries to around 11,500 others, in addition to the arrest of nearly 22,000 people across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

* Writing by Tarek Chouiref