Israeli forces and settlers injured six Palestinians, including two paramedics, in separate attacks across the occupied West Bank governorates of Nablus and Bethlehem, according to Palestinian authorities and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).
The incidents took place on Friday as Israeli military raids continued across the West Bank. The PRCS said one man was beaten and arrested in Beit Furik, while three Palestinians were wounded in a settler attack on vehicles in Bethlehem and two paramedics were hurt when an ambulance was pelted with stones.
What happened in Nablus and Bethlehem
In Beit Furik, east of Nablus, PRCS crews treated a man who had been beaten by Israeli forces. The organisation said it was coordinating with the International Committee of the Red Cross to secure access to him after his arrest.
In the Abu Njeim area of Bethlehem, settlers attacked vehicles and wounded three Palestinians, according to the PRCS. An ambulance crew responding to injured people in nearby Khalayel al-Louz was then struck by stones; two paramedics were injured and the vehicle was damaged. The PRCS also reported that settlers vandalised a Palestinian-owned vehicle in Beit Furik.
Related coverage: The groups and systems behind West Bank settler attacks.
Wider pattern of violence
The Friday incidents followed a week of Israeli military raids across the occupied West Bank, including a two-day operation at Qalandiya refugee camp that injured 48 people, according to the supplied authorities’ account.
Palestinian monitors have documented more than 11,000 attacks across the West Bank since January. Palestinian officials say that since October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,182 Palestinians, injured about 13,000 and arrested nearly 25,000 in the territory.
UN concerns over attacks and restrictions
The United Nations Human Rights Office has said settlers and Israeli forces frequently attack families, burn mosques, and destroy or confiscate property. It also said movement restrictions in the West Bank had become tighter than ever.
More context: Israeli Attacks in Gaza Result in Palestinian Death and Mosque Destruction.
In late July, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani called on third countries to act urgently to halt what she described as continuing killing and dispossession. Rights groups cited in the report say the violence is aimed at deepening Israeli control over Palestinian towns and villages.
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