Palestinian authorities say three Palestinians were shot dead after dozens of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank.
Kafr Malik’s video recordingNear Ramallah, a car and a house caught fire on Wednesday night, and Palestinians fled when they heard gunfire.
The Israeli military said troops deployed to the site found settlers and villagers throwing stones at each other. It added that several “terrorists” opened fire and threw stones at the troops, who fired back and confirmed the hit. They also arrested five Israelites.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said settlers fired fire at villagers during the so-called “terrorist attack.”
The ministry also said Israeli forces prevented ambulance crews from arriving at injured firefighters into the village for several hours.
Israel built about 160 settlements, and since the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Palestinians hope to gain a hopeful future state with Gaza in the 1967 Middle East War. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live with them.
The vast majority of the international community believes that settlements are illegal under international law, and this position is supported by the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), although Israel objected.
The incident happened shortly after the Kafr Malik incident, another attack occurred in Dar Fazaa, a Palestinian community near Taybeh village.
Israeli human rights group BTSelem said three people were injured and three cars were burned. It released CCTV footage showing a group of at least 10 masked men catching a car on fire and throwing stones.
“Under the protection of the occupation forces, the violence and rampage of settlers is a political decision carried out by the Israeli government by settlers,” Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh wrote on X.
“The actions and decisions of the Israeli government are driving the explosion in the region. We call on the international community to intervene urgently to protect our Palestinian people.”
Since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, the number and severity of settler attacks in the West Bank have increased dramatically, triggering a war in Gaza.
The United Nations recorded 487 attacks by settlers in the first four months of the year, resulting in casualties or property damage, including 122 people in April. At least 181 Palestinians were reportedly injured by settlers in the attack.
Human rights groups and witnesses say Israeli military and police are often supported when settlers attack Palestinian towns and villages.
The expansion of settlement has also risen sharply since the right-wing, personal committee-ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the second half of 2022.
According to Israel Anti-Trader Peace, it has so far decided to establish 49 new settlements and begin the legalization process for seven settlement outposts without the government.
Last month, Israeli ministers said 22 new settlements had been approved across the length and width of the entire West Bank to “stop the creation of a Palestinian state that endangers Israel”.
