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21 Palestinians injured in West Bank assault by Israeli settlers
As many as 21 Palestinians sustained injuries late Monday as illegal Israeli settlers attacked two Palestinian towns near the city of Qalqilya, northern occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medical teams treated those injured by the settlers’ attacks in the towns of Jinsafut and Al-Fanduq.
The victims suffered bruises as they were beaten by the settlers, and also suffered from teargas inhalation fired by the Israeli forces, the humanitarian group said.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted Jalal Bashir, head of the Jinsafut municipal council, as saying that the settlers set fire to three homes, a nursery, a carpentry workshop, and also torched several vehicles owned by Palestinians.
Loui Tayem, the mayor of Al-Fanduq, told the state-run Anadolu Agency that “dozens of illegal settlers attacked citizens’ homes and vehicles on the outskirts, burning a 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.”
Violence perpetrated by settlers and Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank has increased since the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023. A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the enclave took effect on Jan. 19.
