RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL

Illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank set fire early Friday to three Palestinian vehicles in the town of Deir Dibwan, near Ramallah, a local resident told Anadolu.

Palestinian Mohammad Samer said a group of illegal settlers stormed the town before dawn and torched three vehicles.

Two cars were completely burned, while the third sustained partial damage, he said, adding that residents chased off the attackers and forced them out of the area.

Observers say implementation of the recent ceasefire plan in Gaza has been accompanied by Israel ramping up its campaign against Palestinians in the West Bank, including turning a blind eye to assaults by illegal settlers and a measure on annexing the West Bank passing a first parliamentary hurdle.

According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, illegal Israeli settlers carried out 7,154 assaults on Palestinians and their properties in the occupied West Bank over the course of two years, which resulted in the death of 33 Palestinians and forced migration of 33 Bedouin communities.

Local authorities said that more than 1,057 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, around 10,300 wounded, and over 20,000 arrested, including 1,600 children, since the Gaza war began two years ago.

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.