WEST BANK, (PIC)
Amid escalating violence in the West Bank and growing warnings about increasing settler attacks under the protection of Israeli forces, several areas witnessed coordinated assaults on Friday targeting Palestinian property and homes.
In the town of Asira al-Qibliya, south of Nablus, settlers set fire to the front part of a vehicle belonging to Ahmad Hamdan Ahmad after attacking the southern area of the town, according to the head of the village council, Hafez Saleh.
He added that settlers also attempted to burn storage facilities and other equipment.
Saleh explained that the attack targeted several homes near a pastoral settlement outpost established on land classified as Area “B.” Settlers also targeted the town’s main water tank, obstructing access to it and preventing necessary maintenance work.
In the village of Burqa, east of Ramallah, settlers attacked from the eastern side of the village and detained several young men near a recreational park, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces (IOF), according to local sources. The sources added that the settlers seized two vehicles before withdrawing from the area.
In southeastern Bethlehem, settlers stormed the Khalayel al-Louz area, where they gathered at a site known as “Bir al-Miyah” (the water well) in a provocative act against residents.
Earlier, armed settlers from the “Otniel” settlement burned two vehicles belonging to two brothers during an attack on homes in the Majd al-Baa area west of Yatta, amid a continued rise in settler violence across the occupied West Bank.
These attacks come amid a noticeable escalation in assaults by settlers and IOF troops in recent weeks, including home raids, uprooting of trees, and the demolition of agricultural structures and facilities, further heightening tensions across the West Bank.
