3 illegal Israeli settlers injured by gunfire in northern West Bank

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) - Three illegal Israeli settlers were injured on Tuesday night as their vehicle came under fire when entering Nablus city in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Israeli army said in a statement that a settlers' vehicle came under fire by unknown gunmen after entering Nablus city.

The army said the settlers managed to flee the scene and received medical treatment at a hospital in Jerusalem, adding that they were also questioned by the Israeli police.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Army Radio said the three settlers are members of the Ultra-orthodox Jewish sect and were on way to the Joseph tomb site in eastern Nablus city.

Venerated by both Muslims and Jews, Joseph's tomb has long been a flashpoint for clashes between the Palestinians and Israeli settlers.

Jews believe the site to be the burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Muslims, however, challenge this claim, saying an Islamic cleric – Sheikh Yussef Dawiqat – was buried at the site two centuries ago.

Over the past few years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank, which have escalated with the beginning of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

At least 809 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,450 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land "illegal" and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara