Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinian village near Ramallah, burn homes, farmlands

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL

At least 30 Palestinians were injured when illegal Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday evening, setting fire to homes and farmlands, witnesses and local media said.

The violence targeted a sheep farm, a residential home, and a horse stable in Deir Dibwan village, east of Ramallah, with settlers igniting large fires that sent thick plumes of smoke into the air, the official Voice of Palestine radio reported.

Videos published on the station’s Telegram account showed widespread flames and heavy smoke rising from the village.

The settler attacks also extended to olive trees and cultivated fields in the village, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

Kamal Awawdeh, a Fatah leader in the village, said 30 Palestinians were injured in the settler attack, most of them with head wounds caused by stone-throwing and beatings with sticks.

He said at least one home was burned, along with 10 vehicles, sheep pens, and a horse stable.

Since the start of the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 973 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers across the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The International Court of Justice declared last July that Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.