Three Palestinians have been killed in a spate of settler attacks in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Authority (PA) Health Ministry in Ramallah.
According to PA officials, a large number of settlers took part in the raids, with some hurling rocks at local residents.
Photos from the villahe of al-Mughayyir showed cars on fire, while CCTV from the towns affected revealed groups of masked men throwing rocks and destroying property. And footage from Kafr Malik showed that a number of homes had been torched.
A PA statement reported three deaths as the result of shootings, with some Palestinian media outlets claiming that IDF soldiers fired on civilians, citing eyewitnesses.
The IDF confirmed that troops had opened fire, but said they were responding to Palestinian gunfire and stones thrown at them.
A military spokesperson said: “At the scene, a confrontation erupted between Israeli civilians and Palestinians, including mutual stone-throwing.
"As a result of the rocks hurled, an IDF was lightly injured and received medical treatment.
"Afterward, several terrorists fired from within Kafr Malik and hurled rocks at the forces, who opened fire towards the source…
"Hits were identified and it was later reported that there were several individuals injured and fatalities.”
The army stated that “dozens” of Israelis had entered the village, but human rights group Yesh Din estimated that more than 100 settlers were involved across a number of towns.
The IDF confirmed that five Israelis had been detained and handed over to Israeli police.
Tensions have been rising in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza War, with a number of high-profile attacks by both settlers and Palestinians.
Earlier this month, rabbi and rights activist Arik Ascherman was allegedly beaten by settlers using a rifle butt and a club, breaking his neck and his back in two places.
In an exclusive interview with the JC, he claimed: “The settlers feel that no matter what they do, they are untouchable.
"That they have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about, and they will pay no consequences for continuing to be violent and continuing to expel Palestinians from their homes.”
The IDF maintains that it polices settlers equally to other Israeli citizens, pointing to the number of detentions of Israelis in the territory in recent years.
However, the majority of settlements are considered legal under Israeli law and there are a number of pro-settlement advocates in senior positions in the government.
Indeed, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a settler himself, is in charge of policing as national security minister and has spoken out against what he termed the “collective punishment” of settlers by police.
