Escalating Violence: Israeli Military Raids and Settler Attacks Leave Numerous Palestinians Injured Across the West Bank

A wave of Israeli military raids and attacks by Israelis from illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank has resulted in injuries to at least 19 Palestinians, according to local media reports and Palestinian health officials.

In ar-Ram, Israeli forces shot and injured three Palestinians attempting to enter occupied East Jerusalem near the separation wall, the Jerusalem Governorate reported on Saturday. Officials stated this was part of near-daily attacks targeting Palestinian workers who have been barred from their jobs in Israel since the onset of the war on Gaza in October 2023.

Meanwhile, in the Tubas Governorate located in the northern West Bank, the Palestine Red Crescent Society announced that its medical crews treated at least 11 Palestinians—including four children—for tear gas inhalation during ongoing Israeli army raids.

Further south in Masafer Yatta, near Hebron, armed settlers beat and bruised an elderly man. Following the assault, Israeli forces raided his home, damaged its contents, and confiscated family phones, as reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Additional incidents reported by the Palestine Red Crescent included two young men hospitalised after being beaten by Israeli settlers in Arrabeh, south of Jenin. In Tammun, located in the Tubas province, a 15-year-old boy and another child were also hospitalised following severe settler assaults. In separate incidents on Friday, the Israeli army and settlers killed two Palestinians in Hebron and Jenin.

In Qusra, south of Nablus, the Hassan and Abu Rida families have remained besieged in their homes for a 14th consecutive day by settlers, while Israeli forces maintain a closed military zone around the area. Local residents have accused the army of inaction, suggesting it amounts to complicity in the potential forced displacement of these families.

According to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem now total approximately 780,000, spread across 192 settlements and 400 outposts. The commission noted that these settlements now encompass 71 percent of Area C and 91 percent of the Jordan Valley.

Data from the United Nations humanitarian affairs office indicates that over 1,330 settler-related attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank occurred between January and late July. This averages roughly six attacks per day, marking the fastest pace recorded since systematic tracking began two decades ago. UN figures further show that more than 2,300 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes this year due to settler violence and associated restrictions.

A UN-appointed commission of inquiry has also reported that Israeli authorities repeatedly failed to prevent foreseeable settler attacks and, in certain instances, directly facilitated them by providing army protection, weapons, and funding.