Israeli settler attack in West Bank kills three Palestinians

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Palestinian authorities and the Israeli military said on Sunday that three Palestinians were killed during an Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank, the second deadly incident reported in as many days.

The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli settlers shot dead Thaer Faruq Hamayel, 24, and Farea Jawdat Hamayel, 57, in the town of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.

It did not say when the incident occurred or provide further details.

In a post on X, Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the “brutal attack on innocent citizens”, saying three were killed and seven others injured.

The Israeli military said forces were dispatched to the Abu Falah area “following a report of Palestinians being attacked by Israeli civilians near homes”.

“Later, it was reported that two Palestinians were killed as a result of gunfire. Additionally, it was reported that another Palestinian died from suffocation,” it said in a statement.

“This is an unacceptable incident,” Major General Avi Bluth, head of the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank, was quoted as saying.

“There will be zero tolerance for civilians who take the law into their own hands. These actions are dangerous, they do not represent the Jewish people or the State of Israel,” he added.

Violence in the occupied West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has soared since the Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war in October 2023. It has continued despite the ceasefire. Monitoring Desk