RAMALLAH, Palestine

Illegal Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles late Tuesday in the village of Susya south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank as part of attacks during the month of Ramadan.

The Al-Baidar Human Rights Organization said settlers torched five homes and several vehicles.

It said settlers raided the village, causing significant property damage and spreading fear among residents, particularly women and children.

Illegal settlers also fired tear gas canisters inside some homes, resulting in four cases of suffocation due to gas inhalation, local sources told Anadolu.

Communities in the Masafer Yatta area where the village is located 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 onslaught against the Gaza Strip began in October 2023. More than 1,116 Palestinians have since been killed, 11,500 wounded and 22,000 arrested, according to Palestinian data.

Palestinians warn that the escalation is 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.

The International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in a landmark opinion in July 2024.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.