ISTANBUL

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement accused Israel of provoking a street war in the West Bank on Saturday following escalating attacks by illegal settlers, under the protection of the army.

The attacks followed the disappearance of a settler teen Friday, whose body was discovered Saturday.

''The criminal attacks committed by Israeli illegal settlers, incited by the government and protected by the military against our people in the occupied West Bank, are part of the plans prepared by Tel Aviv to displace our people from their lands, and to continue the genocide war against our people in Gaza,'' it said in a statement.

"The scenes of armed settlers assaulting our people and committing crimes reflect the mentality of gangs that Israel has fostered and its efforts to provoke a street war in the West Bank,'' it added.

Earlier Saturday, the army said it found a settler's body in the West Bank and claimed the teen was killed in an "attack.''

Illegal settlers launched a massive attack Friday on the village of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah in central West Bank, resulting in the killing of a young man and injuries to dozens of Palestinians, in addition to 40 homes and dozens of vehicles being torched.

The settlers renewed their attacks Saturday on several Palestinian villages and towns in Ramallah and Nablus.

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

While illegal settlers increased their attacks, the army escalated its operations, killing at least 463 Palestinians, injuring 4,750 and detaining more than 8,000, according to Palestinian sources.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul