Illegal Israeli settlers assault Palestinian family in West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – A Palestinian family was assaulted by illegal Israeli settlers in the northern West Bank on Monday, according to a local activist.

“Settlers stole around 300 sheep belonging to the family near the town of Aqraba in Nablus,” Hasan Melihat said in a statement.

One person was injured and transferred to hospital for medical attention, he said.

The activist warned of increasing settler attacks against Bedouin communities in the West Bank to force their displacement.

According to Israeli estimates, over 720,000 illegal settlers reside in Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have spiked since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict last Oct. 7, according to Palestinian residents.

The methods employed by illegal settlers varied from firing live ammunition to beatings, stoning vehicles, and attacking homes, families, and farmers.

At least 682 Palestinians have been killed and over 5,600 others injured by Israeli army fire and settler attacks since Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Health Ministry.

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

*Writing by Mohammad Sio