A local resident inspects a burned car in the village of Susya in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank, 25 February 2025. [Getty]
A young Palestinian man was killed and his brother seriously wounded by settler gunfire on Saturday evening as Israeli settler extremists continue to target residents in the occupied West Bank.
The incident occurred after settlers released their livestock on land owned by the residents of the Al-Rakhim area of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, activist Osama Makhmara told The New Arab’s sister site Al Araby Al Jadeed.
They then opened fire at the two brothers, Amir and Khaled Mohammad Hussein Shanaran, leaving both seriously injured, he said. The Palestinian health ministry later said that Amir died of his injuries.
Meanwhile, Palestinian families began leaving their homes in the village of Al-Aqaba east of Tubas in the northern West Bank on Saturday amid escalating settler attacks in the Jordan Valley.
Hassan Mleihat, the general supervisor of the Al-Baidar human rights organisation, told Al-Araby Al Jadeed that six Palestinian families had packed their belongings and begun leaving the area as a result of the attacks.
Mleihat said that settlers had attacked shepherds in the village on Friday and stole sheep from them.
The departure of families comes a day after 13 other Palestinian families from the Bedouin community of Al-Shakara, east of the town of Duma south of Nablus, were forced to leave their homes under escalating attacks by settlers.
Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has surged since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023.
More than 800 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler attacks this year alone, according to UN data.
Night-time raids by masked settlers have become a common intimidation tactic as the Israeli far-right looks to deepen its control over the territory.
At least 86 instances of settler violence were documented by the UN between 3-16 February, leading to the displacement of 146 Palestinians and the injury of 64.
