Illegal Israeli settlers launched attacks Monday on several Palestinian areas in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes, shops and vehicles, according to sources.
Loui Tayem, the mayor of Al-Funduq, told Anadolu that “dozens of illegal settlers attacked citizens’ homes and vehicles on the outskirts of the village, burning one car and several other vehicles, as well as damaging multiple shops.”
He described the situation as “tense,” adding, “We hear gunfire from time to time, but we cannot identify its source.”
The Palestinian government radio station, Voice of Palestine, reported that the settlers carried out widespread assaults on the villages of Al-Funduq and Jinsafut, causing extensive damage, including the burning of homes, vehicles and commercial properties.
The attacks come amid heightened tensions in the region, with frequent clashes and increasing settler violence further destabilizing the situation.
Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank due to Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, where at least 47,000 victims have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 110,700 injured since Oct. 7, 2023.
Around 860 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,700 injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement took effect Sunday in Gaza, suspending the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave.
In July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.