RAMALLAH, Palestine/ISTANBUL

At least 10 Palestinians suffered injuries after illegal Israeli settlers attacked the village of Khalayel al-Louz near Bethlehem, in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported one gunshot wound to the thigh and nine cases of beating, adding that medics moved three people to a hospital and treated the rest at the scene.

Illegal settlers entered the village, targeted several homes, and set fire to plastic greenhouses used for farming, locals told Anadolu.

Separately, the Israeli army withdrew its forces from the town of Tammun and the al-Faraa refugee camp near Tubas, while continuing its operation in the city and in the towns of Aqaba and Tayasir.

Tammun Mayor Samir Bisharat told Anadolu that troops vacated houses they had turned into military posts and released all detainees except six, who were transferred to Israeli detention centers.

Israeli forces continued to target Tubas and nearby towns with movement restrictions and new military positions, local sources told Anadolu.

Nidal Odeh, director of ambulance and emergency services in Tubas, told Anadolu that the troops have injured about 130 people since the operation started early Wednesday, including dozens beaten by soldiers.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said Israeli forces detained 162 people during the operation and later released most of them after field interrogations and mistreatment.

The Israeli army has escalated its attacks in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.

More than 1,085 Palestinians have since been killed, and 10,700 others injured in attacks by the army and illegal settlers in the occupied territory. More than 20,500 people have also been arrested.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.