An Israeli soldier shot Qassem Hussam, a Palestinian man in his mid-30s, in the leg during a confrontation between settlers and villagers in Faqqua in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military confirmed that one of its soldiers fired during the incident.
The Palestine Red Crescent said Hussam was taken to hospital in light-to-moderate condition. Witnesses said settlers had been grazing livestock on Palestinian-owned land before Israeli forces arrived and opened fire toward Palestinian residents.
What happened in Faqqua
Mohammed al-Sheikh, who said he was standing next to Hussam, said villagers confronted Israeli settlers after the settlers entered the area with livestock. He said Israeli soldiers then arrived and began shooting, with one soldier hitting Hussam.
Video of the incident shows Israeli soldiers and settlers confronting unarmed Palestinian men before shots are fired. Al-Sheikh said residents moved Hussam away and took him to hospital in a private car because they could not get an ambulance to the area.
Military review is under way
The Israel Defense Forces said it had received a report of friction between Israeli civilians and Palestinians near Faqqua. It said soldiers fired into the air and toward a Palestinian, and that the soldier who fired was being investigated for an apparent breach of army protocol.
The military said commanders were reviewing the incident and would forward their findings to the relevant authorities for examination.
Wider violence in the West Bank
The incident comes amid continuing violence involving Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. On the same Saturday, Israeli forces carried out raids across Jenin governorate, arresting six people and injuring a 14-year-old boy who suffered a broken hand, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Read the context: Human Rights Watch says settler violence is forcing Palestinians from West Bank communities.
Residents and Israeli activists said two Palestinian teenagers, Khalil Abu Alia, 16, and Omar al-Nassan, 19, were shot dead in al-Mughayyir on 4 September after settlers entered the village under police and military escort and took dozens of sheep from a Palestinian home.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 1,111 Palestinians, including at least 243 children, had been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 7 October 2023.
What happens next
The IDF’s review will be forwarded to the relevant authorities, while the military’s investigation of the soldier who fired is under way.
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