West Bank Sees Biggest Settler Rampage Since War In Gaza Began As Israeli Teen’s Body Is Found

Al-Muhayyir, West Bank – Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank went on the most violent rampage against Palestinians since the Gaza war began, as Israel’s army announced Saturday that the body of a missing Israeli kid had been discovered after being slain in a “terrorist attack.” Witnesses reported that settlers assaulted several communities.

According to the Israeli military, dozens of individuals were injured in multiple locations as a result of gunfire and rocks being hurled. It did not say how many Palestinians and Israelis were injured. Several companies from the defense forces were dispatched, and “all of the incidents have concluded,” it claimed.

West Bank Sees Biggest Settler Rampage Since War In Gaza Began As Israeli Teen’s Body Is Found

The disappearance of 14-year-old Binyamin Achimair prompted the attacks on Palestinian villages on Friday and Saturday. In a statement on social media, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant asked people not to take the law into their own hands in the territory where tensions have been building for months.

Palestinian Jehad Abu Alia was murdered and 25 others injured in an attack on al-Mughayyir village on Friday, according to Palestinian health officials. According to witnesses, Israeli troops held up the ambulance transporting the 26-year-old man’s body for burial for several hours on Saturday.

On Saturday, dozens of Israeli settlers returned to the village’s outskirts, burning down 12 homes and many cars. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that three persons from the community were hurt, one gravely. Border police sprayed tear gas at the gathered locals, attempting to disperse them.

“They entered the house and burned it and the cars, as you can see,” 42-year-old Akef Abu Allu recounted, gazing at his blackened two-story home in al-Mughayyir.

Israeli settlers set fire to approximately 15 homes and 10 fields in the adjoining village of Douma, according to the leader of the local village council, Slieman Dawabsheh, who was present. “The army came, but unfortunately, they were protecting the settlers,” he added, claiming that it shot tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinians attempting to confront and evict them.

The Israeli military did not react to questions. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported six persons hurt by gunshots but did not specify who fired.

According to a statement from the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, Israeli settlers attacked at least ten settlements in the West Bank, causing damage to homes and cars.

West Bank Sees Biggest Settler Rampage Since War In Gaza Began As Israeli Teen’s Body Is Found

Since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began on October 7 as a result of a Hamas raid on southern Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 more, tensions in the West Bank have been particularly high. According to Gaza health officials, the Israeli offensive has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.

Since then, Hamas has attempted to spark new fronts, especially in the West Bank, to increase pressure on Israel. Even though Israeli fire has killed more than 460 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, the majority of them in clashes sparked by army operations, but some by vigilante settlers, such efforts have largely failed.

There was no immediate claim of blame for the death of the Israeli teenager.

According to Israeli media, the teenager was last seen leaving Malachi Shalom, a settlement outpost, early Friday to care for cattle nearby. According to reports, the sheep returned to the outpost many hours later without him.

According to Israel’s Channel 13 TV, a drone spotted Achimair’s body. The broadcaster stated that he was not shot but did not clarify.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the assassination. “We will get to the murderers and their accomplices as we do to anyone who harms the citizens of Israel,” he said in a statement released by his office.

The kidnapping and execution of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in 2014 fueled tensions, resulting in a 50-day Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the deadliest phase of conflict between the two sides to date.

West Bank Sees Biggest Settler Rampage Since War In Gaza Began As Israeli Teen’s Body Is Found

Consecutive Israeli governments have increased settlement construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, places where Palestinians hope for a future state alongside Gaza. Some are well-developed and resemble Israeli city suburbs, but other outposts may have a few caravans.

While Israel has constructed numerous settlements throughout the occupied West Bank, the outposts are not allowed, despite the government’s tacit support. The international world regards all West Bank settlements as unlawful and impediments to peace.

Over 700,000 Israelis now live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, regions acquired by Israel in 1967.

SOURCE – (AP)