8 Palestinians injured in Israeli forces, illegal settlers’ attacks in West Bank

By Aysar Alais

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Eight Palestinians were injured Thursday in separate attacks by Israeli forces and illegal settlers across the occupied West Bank.

In the village of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, five Palestinians were shot and injured during clashes with Israeli soldiers who had stormed the village.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that its teams treated five gunshot injuries and transported the victims to the hospital.

A video circulating on social media shows three Israeli soldiers beating a Palestinian child lying on the ground in Beit Furik.

In the Al-Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, two children were injured by Israeli gunfire.

The official Wafa news agency reported that Israeli forces fired live bullets at civilians, injuring two children. One of the children sustained a head injury and both were taken to Al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron.

In the village of Yasuf, east of Salfit, a Palestinian was struck in the head by a rock thrown by illegal Israeli settlers on olive harvesters, Wael Abu Madi, the village council head, told Anadolu.

Abu Madi said the settler attacks on farmers often take place under the guard of the Israeli military.

He said that settlers cut off electricity to his village after damaging main power lines, with repair teams currently working on restoring service.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank since the start of Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 42,400 people, mostly women and children, since last year following a Hamas attack.

At least 757 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,250 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion last July by the International Court of Justice that 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.