A woman mourns over the the body of Moath Odeh, 29, who was reportedly killed in clashes with Israeli settlers in Qusra village, during his funeral in Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on October 11, 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
Share
At least four Palestinians were killed Wednesday as armed Israeli settlers attacked a town south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.
In a separate incident, a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli army fire near Bethlehem, the ministry said.
The latest fatalities bring to 28 the Palestinian death toll in the West Bank in violence related to the conflict since Hamas militants launched on Saturday an assault on Israel's south from the blockaded Gaza Strip.
The health ministry reported in a statement "three martyrs as a result of a settler assault on the town of Qusra" in the northern West Bank, later revising up the toll to four.
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem shared on social media footage of what it described as an "incursion of the Israeli military and Israeli settlers" into Qusra.
When contacted by AFP, the army said in a statement that "soldiers operating on the outskirts of the town of Busra reported hearing shots fired in the area", adding it was "looking into reports" of Palestinian casualties.
B'Tselem said on X, formerly Twitter, that "since Saturday, settlers have been attacking Palestinian residents in many parts of the West Bank".
Amid war between Israel and Gaza militants that left thousands dead on both sides, "settlers are utilising the fact that public attention is focused elsewhere to… add fuel to the fire of violence", the group said.
The Palestinian health ministry in a separate statement said it had been informed by the Palestinian Authority's civil affairs authority of "the martyrdom of a citizen… after the occupation (Israeli army) opened fire at him near Bethlehem" in the southern West Bank.
The statement did not identify the slain man or elaborate on the circumstances of his death.
The latest violence in the West Bank comes amid heightened tensions following the surprise Hamas assault early Saturday that has since spiralled into all-out war.
At least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, while Israeli strikes on Gaza killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, according to official figures.
A surge in violence has hit the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, since early last year.
Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to nearly three million Palestinians and around 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements considered illegal under international law.
