Israeli army and settler attacks injure at least 19 Palestinians across the West Bank

Israeli military raids and attacks by settlers have injured at least 19 Palestinians across several locations in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian health officials and local reports. The incidents were reported on Saturday in ar-Ram, Tubas, Masafer Yatta, Arrabeh and Tammun. The injuries included gunshot wounds, beatings and tear gas exposure.

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In ar-Ram, near occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shot and injured three Palestinians who were trying to enter the city, the Jerusalem Governorate said. It said the incident was part of near-daily attacks against Palestinian workers who have been barred from jobs in Israel since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. In Tubas, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said its crews treated at least 11 Palestinians, including four children, for tear gas inhalation during Israeli army raids.

In Tammun, also in Tubas province, a 15-year-old boy was hospitalised after what was described as a severe beating by settlers, while another child was injured in a separate settler assault. The Palestine Red Crescent Society also said two young men were hospitalised after being beaten by settlers in Arrabeh, south of Jenin. In Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, an elderly man was beaten and bruised by armed settlers, after which Israeli forces raided his home, damaged its contents and confiscated family phones, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The same report said the raids and settler attacks were taking place alongside broader pressure on Palestinian communities in the area. In separate attacks on Friday, Israeli forces and settlers killed two Palestinians in Hebron and Jenin, adding to the sense of continuing violence across the territory. The latest injuries come amid a wider pattern of settler violence and military raids in the occupied West Bank.

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The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission says about 780,000 Israeli settlers now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, across 192 settlements and 400 outposts. It says settlement expansion has increased control over large parts of the territory, including much of Area C and the Jordan Valley. The United Nations humanitarian affairs office has recorded more than 1,330 settler-related attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank between January and late July, averaging roughly six a day.

The reported incidents are significant because they involve multiple communities in different parts of the West Bank on the same day, with children among those injured. They also reflect the overlap between military operations, settler attacks and restrictions on Palestinian movement and work. For residents, the immediate impact is physical harm, fear and disruption to daily life.

For officials and aid groups, the scale of the incidents adds to concerns about protection of civilians in an already volatile environment. What remains unclear is whether anyone has been detained or whether any of the injured remain in hospital beyond the initial reports. The available information does not indicate any Israeli military response to the allegations of settler assaults or the reported damage in Masafer Yatta.

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