WEST BANK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Three Palestinians were injured, one of them seriously, on Friday evening after dozens of armed Israeli settlers attacked the outskirts of the towns of Beitillu and Jamala, northwest of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, under the protection of Israeli forces.
The attack comes amid a continued rise in settler violence across the West Bank and Jerusalem, where Palestinians and their property have been repeatedly targeted.
Local and security sources said groups of settlers came from the settlement of Halamish and nearby settlement outposts before entering the Al-Dhahr area and homes near the northern entrance of the two towns of Beitillu and Jamala.
During the assault, settlers threw stones at homes and physically attacked several residents, including an elderly man, a child, and a woman, causing various injuries and bruises.
Clashes erupted after local residents confronted the attackers and attempted to prevent them from entering homes, according to eyewitnesses.
Beitillu Mayor Nasr Radwan said settlers opened live fire directly at residents defending their homes, injuring three young men in the abdomen, arm, and neck. One of the injuries was reported to be critical.
Witnesses said Israeli forces provided protection for the settlers during the attack, firing tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets at residents and preventing people from neighboring villages from reaching and supporting the targeted families.
Dozens of Palestinians also suffered from tear gas inhalation, with most treated at the scene.
In a separate incident, settlers began erecting a settlement tent on Friday afternoon near Palestinian homes on the eastern side of the village of Umm Safa, north of Ramallah.
The Umm Safa Village Council described the move as a dangerous escalation aimed at pressuring residents to leave the area as a prelude to further land seizure and settlement expansion.
In the Nablus governorate, armed settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in the Al-Masoudiya area, part of the lands of Burqa village northwest of the city, in an apparent attempt to force them off their land.
Dhiab Haji, head of the Al-Masoudiya Land Defense Committee, said settlers entered the area and assaulted farmers while they were working, as part of ongoing attacks targeting the Palestinian presence on agricultural lands throughout the region.
