Israeli occupiers wound Palestinian man, burn wheat fields near Nablus

Israeli occupiers wounded a Palestinian and burned wheat fields early Monday during an attack on the archaeological area of al-Masoudiya in Barqa, northwest of Nablus in the occupied northern West Bank.

Diab Hajjah, an anti-settlement activist in Barqa, told Anadolu that dozens of masked occupiers attacked al-Masoudiya and attempted to break into the home of Palestinian resident Mousa Idais.

He said the occupiers threw stones at the house, injuring Idais in the hand and smashing the windows of a vehicle.

Hajjah added that the occupiers set fire to wheat fields in the area, burning parts of the crops and causing damage to agricultural land.

He said Palestinian Civil Defense volunteers and Red Crescent teams treated the wounded man, while Civil Defense crews worked with residents to extinguish the fires.

A large number of Barqa residents and village council members later arrived in the area to support residents and confront the attack, he added.

Al-Masoudiya is an archaeological area in Barqa that still contains structures linked to the historic Hejaz railway.

The attack comes amid a surge in violence by Israeli occupiers against Palestinian villages and towns east of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, targeting homes, agricultural land and places of worship.

The occupied West Bank has witnessed escalating attacks by Israeli occupiers and Israeli forces, including arson, destruction of farmland, bulldozing and restrictions preventing farmers from accessing their land, particularly near settlements and outposts.

Since Oct. 8, 2023, violence by Israeli occupiers and Israeli forces in the West Bank has killed 1,169 Palestinians, injured 12,666 and led to the arrest of about 23,000 people, while 33,000 have been displaced.

*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul