Israeli settler attacks have increased dramatically since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023[Mosab Shawer / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images]
Israeli settlers wounded at least seven Palestinians in an attack in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, as Israeli authorities continue forcing Palestinians to self-demolish their homes in occupied East Jerusalem.
The settler attack in the village of Madama, south of Nablus, involved the use of live ammunition and assault, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society documented two people as being shot with bullets, as well as one being wounded by bullet shrapnel, while four others were physically assaulted.
Ambulances from the agency were also prevented from reaching those injured by Israeli forces.
Settlers also attacked several homes in the early hours of Saturday morning in the town of Beita, also south of Nablus, with vehicles also damaged by stones, and later attacked the village of Deir Abu Mash’al, damaging a vehicle.
Alongside the settler attacks, Israeli forces detained six Palestinians, two men in the suburb of Shuweika north of Tulkarem, and four in raids on the city of Qalqilya.
Raids on Qalqilya continued through Saturday with a focus on the village of Kafr Qaddum, while in Ramallah, the villages of Abwein, Ajjul, Aroura, the town of Sinjil, and the city of Rawabi, were also stormed.
Since the start of the year, 52 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The UN office also noted 211 Israeli settler attacks causing damage to property and injuries to Palestinians in April alone.
Meanwhile, in occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities have forced several families to self-demolish their homes.
This includes a family in the al-Bustan neighbourhood of Silwan, a family in Beit Hanina.
In the village of Qalandia, a family was ordered to demolish the homes of six Palestinian families in the village, alongside the family home.
Israeli authorities regularly force Palestinians to demolish their homes in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of having built the house without a permit.
Israeli authorities in the city regularly deny Palestinian applications to build housing, and have begun a new initiative to seize dozens of Palestinian homes in the city’s Bab el-Silsileh neighbourhood.
