By Qais Abo Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Israeli settlers set up an outpost near the West Bank city of Al-Bireh on Thursday, according to a local Palestinian official.
“The settlers seek to control large swathes of land in Burqa town” near Al-Bireh, municipal chief Sael Kanaan told Anadolu.
He said the new outpost was built on private Palestinian land.
“Settlers, backed by the Israeli army, already control around 1,000 dunums (1,000 square meters) of lands in the town,” he added.
According to Kanaan, there are already five Israeli outposts in the town.
Estimates indicate about 700,000 Israeli settlers live in roughly 300 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
All Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal under international law.
Tensions have been high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack.
At least 380 Palestinians have since been killed and 4,200 others injured by Israeli forces, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Ankara