Extremist Israeli settlers this morning set a truck on fire and assaulted the driver in the occupied West Bank, after mistakenly believing he was delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.
According to the Times of Israel, Israeli soldiers who had arrived to separate the settlers from the Israeli driver were also attacked resulting in the injury of three soldiers.
In a statement, the Israeli occupation army reported that settlers attacked the Israeli driver of a truck at a junction outside the illegal settlement of Kochav Hashahar, northeast of Ramallah, before setting the vehicle on fire.
It also noted that soldiers called to the scene provided medical treatment to the driver and that the extremists responded with violence toward the soldiers, adding that it would pursue legal action against those who harmed the soldiers.
READ: Red Crescent: 15,000 children have been killed in Gaza
Today’s attack comes after illegal Israeli settlers set a Palestinian driver’s truck on fire yesterday and proceeded to attack him near the illegal settlement Givat Asaf, east of Ramallah, believing that his truck was carrying aid to Gaza.
The trucks were being used for commercial purposes and not for the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip, reported Haaretz. In spite of the attack, Israeli soldiers who arrived on scene did not arrest any Israeli suspects.
Israeli settlers attacked and severely injured a Palestinian truck driver they said was taking food to Gaza.https://t.co/FgLjATR0og
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) May 15, 2024
In a video posted online, the Palestinian truck driver can be seen lying on the ground injured, as soldiers, including an officer holding the rank of captain, walks past him. A right-wing settler can be heard shouting: “This is what happens to those who bring food to Hamas.”
Israeli settler attacks have surged at an unprecedented rate, according to the United Nations, and Israel’s failure to protect Palestinians and prosecute settlers has led to an environment of near complete impunity.
Nearly 500 Palestinians from the West Bank have been killed by Israeli occupation forces and settlers since 7 October, in addition to over 4,900 who have been injured.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.