Israeli Settlers Torch West Bank Village, Leaving One Dead
Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked the village of Jit in the occupied West Bank on Thursday evening, setting fire to houses and cars. The Palestinian health ministry reported that a local villager in his early 20s was killed, and another person was critically injured. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the settlers, some wearing masks, used rocks and Molotov cocktails during the attack.
Israeli leaders condemned the violence, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising to prosecute those responsible, and President Isaac Herzog urging immediate action to bring the perpetrators to justice. The IDF stated that its forces arrived at the scene within minutes, fired into the air to disperse the crowds, and removed the attackers from the village. An investigation involving the IDF, Israel’s security agency Shin Bet, and the Israeli police is now underway.
This incident is part of a broader trend of settler violence in the West Bank, which Palestinians claim is often overlooked by Israeli security forces. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recorded over 1,000 attacks by settlers on Palestinians since October, leading to fatalities, injuries, and the displacement of hundreds. The escalating violence has prompted the US, EU, and UK to impose sanctions on some settler leaders and entire outposts.
