3 Palestinians critically injured by Israeli army, illegal settlers in West Bank

By Anadolu staff

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - At least three Palestinians, including a child, were critically wounded Thursday by Israeli army gunfire and an attack by illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement that two of the injured, including one in the head from the town of Anabta, arrived at Tulkarem Hospital.

Additionally, a child seriously wounded in the chest arrived at Rafidia Hospital from the town of Qusra, the statement said.

Palestine Television identified the injured person from Anabta as Mohammed Saber Youssef Adas, 49, who works in the presidential guard.

Earlier in the day, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said the child was seriously injured following an attack by illegal Israeli settlers on Qusra, south of Nablus.

It also reported that a young man was injured by gunfire from Israeli forces as they stormed the town of Anabta, east of Tulkarem.

The agency quoted Fuad Hassan, an activist with the Settlement Resistance Committee, as saying that illegal Israeli settlers from the settlement of Yish Kodesh, who were dressed in military uniforms, attacked Palestinians in Qusra. They fired live bullets, resulting in the serious injury of a 14-year-old, who was shot in the chest.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip which has killed more than 34,600 people after an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 492 Palestinians have since been killed and around 4,900 others injured by the Israeli army in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul