Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinian village in West Bank

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - A group of illegal Israeli settlers on Friday attacked a Palestinian village in the occupied central West Bank.

According to official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the settlers attacked the villagers of al-Mughayyir village, east of Ramallah, and attempted to destroy their farmlands.

Citing locals in the village, it added the settlers, who were holding weapons, attempted to vandalize olive trees and opened fire at the villagers.

On April 12, settlers launched a massive attack on Al-Mughayyir village, killing a young man and injuring dozens of Palestinians, besides 40 homes and dozens of vehicles being torched.

Tensions have been high across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 34,300 people following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Nearly 490 Palestinians have since been killed and over 4,800 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.