An Israeli man was wounded by an explosive device that was thrown at his car near an illegal outpost in the northern West Bank on Monday night, sparking a rampage by settlers in a nearby Palestinian village, where they torched cars and a house, and injured several Palestinians. The Israeli army said it dispersed the rioters and was investigating the incidents.
The attack occurred near the former settlement of Homesh, which was evacuated in 2005 as part of Israel’s unilateral disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. A group of Israelis, including Avia Antman, who survived a deadly shooting attack by Hamas militants near Homesh in December 2021, were driving in the area when an explosive device was hurled at their car, lightly injuring a 25-year-old man with glass shards.
Following the attack, dozens of settlers from nearby settlements and outposts descended on the Palestinian village of Burqa, where they set fire to several cars and a house, and attacked some of the residents. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, at least six Palestinians were injured by stones and rubber bullets, and one was hospitalized with a head injury.
The attack and the retaliation are part of a cycle of violence in the West Bank since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel
The attack and the retaliation are part of a cycle of violence that has been plaguing the West Bank since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed hundreds of Israelis and triggered a war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Since then, there have been several attacks by Palestinian terrorists against Israeli civilians and soldiers, as well as by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and property.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 4,000 Palestinians and 130 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza since October 7, 2023. OCHA also reported that more than 1,000 Palestinian homes and structures have been demolished or damaged by Israeli forces or settlers, and more than 10,000 olive trees have been uprooted or burned by settlers.
The Israeli military has intensified its raids and arrests across the West Bank, targeting Hamas and other Palestinian factions, as well as suspected collaborators and informers. The Israeli authorities have also imposed harsh measures on the Palestinian population, such as restricting their movement, closing their roads, and revoking their work permits.
The international community has condemned the violence and called for calm and restraint
The international community has condemned the violence and called for calm and restraint from both sides, as well as for a resumption of peace talks and a two-state solution. The US, the UK, and France have recently imposed sanctions on some extremist settlers who have been involved in attacks on Palestinians, expressing their lack of confidence in the Israeli law enforcement and justice system, which rarely prosecutes or convicts Israeli perpetrators.
The EU, which issued a joint statement on Monday warning Israel against a “catastrophic” attack on Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians live under siege and bombardment, also expressed its concern about the situation in the West Bank. The EU called for an “immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a lasting ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance.”
The UN, which has been providing humanitarian aid and protection to the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, also urged Israel to respect international humanitarian law and human rights, and to avoid excessive and indiscriminate use of force. The UN also appealed to the Palestinian factions to stop firing rockets and mortars at Israel, and to refrain from inciting or glorifying violence.
