Settler's vehicle hits, wounds Palestinian couple in Qalqilya

A Palestinian couple was wounded this morning after an Israeli settler’s vehicle crashed into their horse-drawn cart in the northern occupied West Bank.

The incident took place on the main road near the village of al-Nabi Elyas while the Palestinian couple was on their way to their farm east of Qalqilya, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The illegal Israeli settlement of Alfei Menashem is located in the area.

The two were evacuated to the Darwish Nazzal hospital in Qalqilya. The hospital’s General Manager Ghassan Barakat said that that the husband, identified as 61-year-old Muhammad Daoud, sustained serious wounds, while his wife, 58-year-old Naela Hassan Ali Dawood, was moderately injured.

Initial reports did not indicate whether the incident was suspected to be a traffic accident or an attack.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that they were looking into the reports.

Settler attacks on Palestinians and their property are a regular occurrence in the occupied West Bank where Palestinians are surrounded by some 500,000 to 600,000 Israeli settlers residing in at least 196 illegal settlements and 232 outposts on occupied Palestinian territory.

Since the start of 2016, some 88 attacks have already been reported, with at least 221 attacks carried out in 2015, according to UN documentation. However, the number is likely much higher, as many attacks on Palestinians go unreported.

The majority of settler attacks committed against Palestinians are met with impunity, with Israelis rarely facing consequences for such attacks.