A martyr succumbs to his wounds in the West Bank, and settlers escalate their attacks amid the occupation’s raids

Yesterday, Sunday, Israeli settlers launched a series of attacks targeting Palestinian properties in several communities in various areas of the West Bank, according to Palestinian government media and eyewitnesses, while the occupation army continued its raids and arrest campaigns in a number of areas of the West Bank.

The official Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported that a group of masked settlers attacked the outskirts of the village of Burqa in the center of the Ramallah governorate from its closed main entrance, and burned a vehicle. It added that settlers attacked the village of Al-Mazra'a Al-Gharbiya in western Ramallah, without reporting any injuries, and uprooted olive trees in the village of Kufr Ni'ma.

In the southern West Bank, WAFA reported two separate incidents in the villages of Husan and Al-Khader, west and south of Bethlehem. It said that settlers "began to pave a 200-meter-long and 20-meter-wide settlement road" on Husan lands.

In Al-Khader, the agency reported that settlers "began to bulldoze lands adjacent to the Sidi Bouaz colonial outpost, which was built on citizens' lands in the Ain Qassis area, which is affiliated with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, with the aim of expanding its borders," adding that they placed a mobile home on lands in the Dahr Al-Ziah area, west of Al-Khader, in preparation for seizing them.

The agency said that "armed settlers placed a mobile home on citizens' lands in the Sadat al-Tha'ala area, in Masafer Yatta in the city of Hebron, south of the West Bank, in preparation for seizing it, in favor of building farms for settlers and expanding the Tshar Man settlement outpost, which has been built on citizens' lands since 2020."

The official agency reported that settlers burned an agricultural room and olive trees in the village of Dhahr al-Abed, west of the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank. It added that settlers from al-Ra'awiya, east of the village, attacked the eastern part of the village and burned an agricultural room, while the fire reached some olive trees in the area.

In the context, settlers proceeded to bulldoze and destroy the northern entrance to the city of Salfit, after closing the iron gate, vandalizing the road infrastructure, digging it up, and placing cement blocks, with the aim of obstructing the movement of citizens and preventing them from entering or leaving the city.

According to the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission (governmental), settlers carried out a total of 1,334 attacks in the West Bank during the first half of 2024, resulting in the deaths of 7 citizens. According to data from the Israeli leftist Peace Now movement, about half a million Israelis live in 146 large settlements and 144 settlement outposts built on West Bank lands, not including occupied East Jerusalem.

In a related context, large forces of the Israeli occupation army stormed the eastern area of ​​the city of Nablus yesterday, Sunday, to secure the protection of settlers while they were storming Joseph's Tomb and performing Talmudic rituals. Local sources told WAFA that clashes erupted in the area amid heavy live fire.

A young man was also shot by Israeli occupation forces, and five others were arrested in the city of Al-Bireh. Security sources told WAFA that the young man was shot in the foot by live bullets, while five others were arrested in the Al-Balou area of ​​the city.

For its part, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said that the occupation forces arrested 6 Palestinians after raiding their homes in the town of Faqqu'a, east of Jenin. Two days ago, the Commission of Prisoners' Affairs (governmental) and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club (civilian) said in a joint statement that the number of Palestinian detainees has risen to more than 9,550 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, including those arrested at dawn yesterday, Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday evening, a young Palestinian man died of his wounds after being shot by the Israeli occupation army during its raid on the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank last Friday, bringing the number of martyrs from the Israeli aggression on Jenin to 8 citizens.

In conjunction with its war on Gaza, the Israeli army and settlers escalated their attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which led to the arrest of about 9,550 Palestinians, in addition to the martyrs and wounded. Since October 7, Israel, with full American support, has been waging a war on Gaza that has resulted in more than 125,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of dozens of children.