Occupied Jerusalem, Aug. 29 (SANA) Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Qusra, south of Nablus, Saturday, as a Palestinian monitoring report documented intensified settler attacks and moves to expand settlements and seize Palestinian land and water resources across the occupied West Bank.
The weekly report, carried by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, documented attacks and settlement activity between August 23 and 28. It said a tender was issued for about 1,200 settlement units in the E1 area, east of occupied Jerusalem, while 18 new jurisdictional areas were designated for settlement outposts.
On Saturday, dozens of settlers attacked Qusra following weeks of heightened tensions in the village. A resident told AFP that settlers surrounded Palestinians working on a house and threw stones at them after additional settlers arrived. AFP footage showed dozens of Israeli forces deployed at the site.
The Israeli military said soldiers and border police were dispatched following reports of violence and stone-throwing. It said forces removed settlers from a Palestinian home, separated the groups and confiscated vehicles suspected of having been used to reach the area. Police opened an investigation, while the military said it was aware of reports of Palestinian injuries.
The attack followed nearly three weeks of tensions in Qusra, where settlers earlier this month blocked supplies from reaching Palestinian homes on the outskirts of the village, according to AFP.
Attacks reported across West Bank
The Palestinian monitoring report documented settler attacks involving shootings and beatings of Palestinians, the burning of homes, vehicles and farmland, the uprooting of olive trees, theft of livestock and the establishment of new outposts and roads.
In occupied Jerusalem, Israeli forces issued about 30 demolition notices for homes and agricultural structures in Anata, while additional notices targeted structures near the separation wall in Kafr Aqab, according to the report.
Two Palestinians were wounded by settler gunfire in Hebron, while three others were injured in attacks in Bethlehem. Further attacks and settlement activity were reported in Ramallah, Nablus and Tulkarm.
Water resources targeted
In the Jordan Valley, settlers seized an irrigation pipeline in Fasayil and diverted its water, causing Palestinian farmland to dry out, the report said.
United Nations data cited in the report showed that settlers have attacked at least 160 water and sanitation sites in the occupied Palestinian territories since the beginning of the year.
The report also documented damage to water lines and solar panels and restrictions preventing Palestinian shepherds from reaching grazing areas and water sources.
Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has intensified in recent months. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the occupied territory among about three million Palestinians. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.
According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Health Ministry data, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 1,103 Palestinians in the West Bank, including civilians and fighters, since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. Israeli figures cited by AFP show at least 48 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the territory over the same period.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
F.J./M.F.
