JERUSALEM 

The Israeli army said Friday that a settler disappeared in the West Bank and search operations are underway.

The army said it searching for a 14-year-old boy.

“The army forces, including special units, have been operating since Friday afternoon, along with Israeli police and other forces, in search of the missing boy in the (settlement outpost) of Malachi Shalom, near Ramallah, in the central West Bank,” it said. “The Central Region Commander (Yehuda Fox) and the Judea and Samaria Division Commander (West Bank) Yaki Dolf are in the field and leading the forces in the search for the young man.”

It noted that “the forces are closing roads and conducting searches in the area.”

The Israeli Times of Israel newspaper said the missing settler is from the settlement outpost Malachi Shalom.

It added that the boy left the settlement outpost “in the early morning hours to shepherd the sheep, and he was reported missing.”

It pointed out that “the herd of sheep returned to the settlement farm but without the boy.”

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

​​​​​​​Simultaneously with the ongoing offensive on Gaza, settlers increased attacks in the West Bank, while the Israeli army escalated its operations, resulting in the killing of 462 Palestinians, injuries to 4,750, and the arrest of 8,145, according to Palestinian sources.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which asked Israel to do more to prevent famine in Gaza, where more than 33,600 people have been killed.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala