Israeli settlers attack Palestinian homes, farmland in occupied West Bank

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian homes in the northern town of Beita and damaged agricultural land in the southern Masafer Yatta area on Saturday, Palestinian media and local activists said, as documented violence against civilians in the occupied West Bank continues to escalate.

Stone-throwing in Beita

The assailants threw stones at houses and smashed several vehicles at dawn in Beita, located south of Nablus, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. Residents confronted the attackers, prompting Israeli forces to fire light bombs into the sky over the town, state-run Voice of Palestine radio reported.

Tree destruction near Hebron

In the southern West Bank, settlers attacked Palestinian farmland and damaged several trees in Khirbet el-Muraq in the Masafer Yatta area, activist Osama Makhamra told reporters. Makhamra, who monitors Israeli violations south of Hebron, said the attack destroyed property belonging to local farmers.

Surge in West Bank violence

Settlers carried out 540 attacks against Palestinians and their property across the West Bank, including Jerusalem, during April alone, ranging from physical violence and uprooting trees to demolishing homes and preventing farmers from accessing their land, according to the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission. Israeli forces and settlers have killed 1,168 Palestinians and displaced around 33,000 people in the territory since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Palestinian figures show.