Palestinians confront Israeli occupiers attempting to seize West Bank home

• 3 Palestinians wounded in attack by Israeli occupiers near Bethlehem

Palestinian residents confronted Israeli occupiers Tuesday who attempted to seize a home in the town of Shuyukh in the southern West Bank, according to sources.

A group of armed occupiers stormed the town in northeastern Hebron and raided a Palestinian home, trying to take it by force, but residents intervened and prevented the confiscation, sources told Anadolu.

Fadi al-Ayaydeh, executive director of Shuyukh municipality, said residents were surprised early Tuesday to find occupiers had set up a tent on land belonging to Palestinians.

“We went to the site and found a large number of residents there. During that time, armed occupiers confronted us and fired shots in the air to intimidate people,” al-Ayaydeh told Anadolu.

Israeli forces later arrived and fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd, he added.

Al-Ayaydeh said erecting the tent was “an attempt to impose a fait accompli,” explaining that occupiers often set up tents and informal outposts, then monitor reactions and expand if there is no resistance.

He noted that residents would remain at the site to ensure the tent is removed and that people can access their land.

Separately, three Palestinians were wounded Tuesday evening in an attack by Israeli occupiers east of the town of Tuqu, south of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The attackers attempted to steal the Palestinians’ sheep and sprayed residents with pepper spray, injuring three people.

The injured were treated at a local health center in the town, the agency said.

According to the official Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli occupiers carried out 497 attacks against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank in March, killing nine.

Violence by Israeli forces and occupiers in the West Bank has intensified since the Gaza war in October 2023, killing more than 1,148 Palestinians, wounding 11,750 and leading to 22,000 arrests.

In a landmark opinion in July 2024, 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.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul