Ramallah, Palestine

An illegal Israeli settler assaulted a Palestinian woman Tuesday after raiding the hamlet of Khirbet al-Markaz in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, residents said.

The attacker entered the community and searched Palestinian homes and livestock pens before physically attacking the woman, locals told Anadolu.

A video circulating on social media showed the illegal settler inside the village and assaulting the woman.

No immediate details were available about her medical condition.

Residents said the attack sparked fear and panic among families, particularly women and children, amid repeated illegal settler incursions into the area.

Communities in Masafer Yatta have faced frequent settler attacks, including home invasions and grazing livestock on Palestinian-owned land. Residents have repeatedly called for protection and an end to settler violence.

Assaults by the Israeli army and illegal settlers have escalated in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023. More than 1,116 Palestinians have been killed, about 11,500 wounded and roughly 22,000 arrested, according to Palestinian data.

Palestinians warn that the escalation aims to pave the way for formal Israeli annexation of the West Bank, effectively ending prospects for a Palestinian state as outlined in UN resolutions.

The international community and the UN consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be occupied Palestinian territory, and regard Israeli settlements there as illegal under international law.

In a landmark opinion in July 2024, 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.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul