Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinian town in occupied West Bank

Illegal Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian town in the West Bank on Monday, in the latest settler assaults in the occupied territory, a local activist said.

“Illegal settlers burned down a farmhouse on the outskirts of Sinjil town in the central West Bank under Israeli army protection,” Ayed Ghefari told Anadolu.

He said clashes erupted between Palestinian residents and settler attackers during which Israeli soldiers used tear gas canisters.

Dozens of Palestinians suffered temporary asphyxiation from the tear gas used by Israeli soldiers and were treated on the field, the activist said.

According to the activist, illegal settlers erected a settlement outpost on Palestinian land in the town and prevented residents from reaching the area.

Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023, illegal Israeli settlers have built some 60 outposts across the occupied West Bank, according to official Palestinian figures.

Illegal settlers, backed by the Israeli army, have escalated their attacks on Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank in recent months, burning homes and farms with impunity as Israeli officials continued to publicly incite attacks against Palestinians.

More than 950 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,000 others injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers since October 2023, Palestinian figures showed.

The International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal last July and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.