Settlers terrorise Palestinians in West Bank, set fire to home

Settlers launched terrorist attacks in the occupied West Bank yesterday evening, wounding two people, including a young boy, and burning a house and at least three vehicles.

A young man and a child were injured by settler bullets during an attack on the village of Asira Al-Qibliya, south of Nablus.

The head of the Asira Al-Qibliya village council, Hafez Saleh, reported that settlers from the Yitzhar settlement attacked the eastern part of the village, amid heavy gunfire.

He reported that this led to the injury of a 20-year-old man who was shot with live bullets in his stomach, and a 16-year-old boy who was hit in his hand. They were both taken to hospital.

He added that settlers burned a vehicle parked in front of the home of village resident Abdel Baset Abdel Rahman, then targeted the home of Jawad Shehadeh with Molotov cocktails, causing the house to catch fire.

Settlers burned a truck in the town of Huwara, south of Nablus.

The Palestinian News Agency Wafa reported that dozens of settlers attacked the town of Huwara, and burned a truck belonging to town resident Abdullah Odeh, which was parked in front of his house.

Settlers also demolished two arbours and a barn, razed trees and chased away shepherds and farmers in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.

In a separate incident, local sources said that settlers, under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces, destroyed two arbours, a barn and retaining walls, and destroyed ten grapevines belonging to Khader Al-Nawajaa in the village of Susiya.

Settlers also attacked the family of the head of the Susiya Village Council, Jihad Al-Nawajaa, while they were on their land near the village, chased the shepherds and forced farmers to leave their lands in Wadi Al-Jawaya, east of Yatta, south of Hebron.

The occupation forces also raided, ransacked and searched Palestinian homes in the village of Janba in Masafer Yatta.

Palestinian homes in the village of Madama were also attacked and a vehicle was burned in the village of Al-Sawiya, south of Nablus.

Settlers carried out 186 attacks against Palestinians in January, concentrated in the Hebron Governorate, which suffered 63 attacks, 38 in Nablus and 23 in Ramallah, killing 17-year-old Tawfiq Ajaon on 19 January.

READ: Occupied West Bank: illegal settlers attack Palestinians in Nablus, Jericho and Hebron