Israeli illegal settlers torch homes, forcing evacuation of Palestinian residents in West Bank

​​​​​​​By Awad Rajoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Illegal Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian residential compound Saturday in the northern West Bank, burning two homes and forcing 66 residents to evacuate.

"Dozens of settlers backed by the Israeli army attacked the Ein Al-Hilweh compound in the northern Jordan Valley, setting fire to two homes and forcing residents to evacuate,” Muath Bisharat, a settlement affairs official in Tubas told Anadolu.

“The two homes were inhabited, and the entire compound housed 66 people, with 45 residential buildings and an agricultural facility,” he said.

Bisharat noted that the attack forced the owners to flee to unknown destinations, while the army did not intervene.

Illegal settlers launched a massive attack Friday on the village of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah in central West Bank, resulting in the killing of a young man and injury of dozens of Palestinians, besides 40 homes and dozens of vehicles being torched.

The settlers renewed their attacks Saturday on several Palestinian villages and towns in Ramallah and Nablus.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a military offensive against the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

While illegal settlers increased their attacks, the Israeli army escalated its operations, killing at least 463 Palestinians, injuring 4,750 and detaining more than 8,000, according to Palestinian sources.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul