Nablus, February 15 (RHC)-- Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinians east of Bethlehem, leaving at least 15 people injured, amid escalating violence in the occupied West Bank.
The chief of the al-Maniya village council, Zayed Kawazbeh, told WAFA on Friday that settlers physically assaulted Palestinians in al-Maniya wilderness, east of Bethlehem, using clubs, rifle butts and tear gas canisters. The attack left 15 members of the Shallaldeh family injured.
The settlers also set fire to two vehicles, vandalized several others and destroyed solar panels, tents and barracks in the area.
Also on Friday, Israeli forces used stun grenades and tear gas canisters against Palestinians taking part in a weekly anti-settlement protest in the village of Kafr Qaddoum, east of Qalqilya.
The Israeli attack triggered clashes between the demonstrators and the regime’s forces.
Palestinians have been holding weekly marches in Kafr Qaddoum since July 2011 to protest against Israel’s settlement expansion and the closure of the village’s main road.
Clashes also erupted between Israeli forces and residents in the town of Beita, South of Nablus, leaving a number of Palestinians suffering from breathing difficulties. The clashes broke out when the regime’s forces stormed the town, using stun grenades and tear gas against the residents. A young man was also abducted during the clashes.
Beita has witnessed frequent attacks by Israeli forces and settlers since the establishment of the illegal settler outpost “Evyatar” on Mount Sabih.
In Jenin, Israeli forces kidnapped a child during a raid on his home in the eastern neighborhood on Friday.
Since a ceasefire in Gaza was announced last month, Israel has intensified its attacks in Jenin and other parts of the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) said at least 380 people have been abducted by Israeli forces since the start of their large-scale military raids in the occupied West Bank after the Gaza ceasefire went into effect on January 19.
The deal between Israel and Hamas was reached after 15 months of the regime's genocidal war on the strip, which claimed the lives of at least 48,239 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 111,676 others.
The regime approved the ceasefire after falling short of realizing any of its wartime objectives, including freeing the captives, “eliminating” the Gazan resistance, and causing forced displacement of Gaza’s entire population to neighboring Egypt.
