Three Palestinians have been killed following an attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian authorities and the Israeli military. The incident marks the second deadly attack reported within two days.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the victims were identified as 24-year-old Thaer Faruq Hamayel and 57-year-old Farea Jawdat Hamayel, who were reportedly shot by Israeli settlers in the town of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. The ministry did not specify when the incident occurred or provide further details.
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the attack in a post on X, describing it as a “brutal assault on innocent citizens.” He added that three people were killed and seven others sustained injuries.
In a statement, the Israeli military confirmed that its forces were deployed to Abu Falah after receiving reports that Palestinians were being attacked by Israeli civilians near residential homes.
According to the military, two Palestinians were confirmed dead from gunfire, while another reportedly died from suffocation.
Major General Avi Bluth, the head of the Israeli military’s Central Command responsible for the West Bank, described the incident as unacceptable.
“There will be zero tolerance for civilians who take the law into their own hands. These actions are dangerous and do not represent the Jewish people or the State of Israel,” Bluth said.
Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has escalated sharply since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 that triggered the Gaza war. Clashes have continued despite the ceasefire.
On Saturday, Palestinian health authorities and a local mayor reported that Israeli settlers also shot and killed a Palestinian man and injured his brother in another attack in Wadi al-Rakhim village.
Mohammad Rabai, head of the nearby Tuwani village council, told AFP that settlers had entered homes in the area and attacked the family of 27-year-old Amir Mohammad Shnaran, who later died from his injuries.
The Israeli military said soldiers and police were deployed to the scene after reports of a violent confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians, adding that an investigation was underway.
According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,043 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war. The victims include militants as well as many civilians.
Israeli authorities, meanwhile, report that at least 45 Israelis — both soldiers and civilians — have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the same period.
AFP
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