Nablus: Several Palestinians were injured overnight in renewed settler violence in the north of the occupied West Bank, reports said on Wednesday. Eight Palestinians, including a toddler, were treated, most for smoke inhalation. One person also suffered burns.
According to Ghana News Agency, Israeli settlers were said to have set fire to cars in a Palestinian village near the city of Nablus and attempted to torch a house. The Israeli military reported that soldiers had entered the village but found no suspects. Israeli police have launched an investigation into the incident.
The military statement included a strong condemnation of such incidents by security forces. Eyal Zamir, Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli military, had previously described attacks by extremist settlers on Palestinians as 'morally and ethically unacceptable' in March. Despite these condemnations, Israeli security forces have been accused of failing to act decisively against such incidents, or even siding with aggressive settlers.
Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza, there has been a marked rise in violence by radical Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank. Israeli media have increasingly referred to such attacks as 'Jewish terrorism.'