RAMALLAH, Palestine 

Illegal Israeli settlers on Thursday assaulted a Palestinian shepherd and stole his flock of 300 sheep in the occupied West Bank, according to local residents.

The attack took place in Kafr Malik, a village east of Ramallah. Khaled Ghara, the shepherd, told Anadolu that several illegal settlers beat him while he was grazing his flock.

He was later taken to the hospital with bruises and other injuries.

Ghara said the illegal settlers then stole his 300 sheep before leaving the area.

Assaults by illegal Israeli settlers on Palestinian farmers and shepherds have been on the rise across the occupied West Bank, often aimed at forcing communities off their land.

The Palestinian Commission Against the Wall and Settlements recorded 1,201 attacks by Israeli army forces and illegal settlers in July alone, including 466 settler assaults.

Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, at least 1,016 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

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