Israel settlers kill Palestinian in West Bank: official

|

The Israeli army says it ​is checking on reports settlers attacked Palestinians in the West Bank.
The Israeli army says it ​is checking on reports settlers attacked Palestinians in the West Bank.

Israeli militant settlers have shot two Palestinians, killing one and injuring the other, in an attack ‌on the village of Yasuf in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, ‌according to Palestinian officials.

In a surge of violence, Israel’s military and ‌settlers have killed more than 80 Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of 2026, according to the United Nations.

In the latest incident, settlers shot Mashour Yassin, 51, during an attack on his ‌home on ‌the ⁠outskirts of Yasuf, village council head Jumaa Abdel ​Fattah said.

The assailants came from the direction of a settler outpost built near the village about two months ago, Fattah said.

An Israeli settler
Palestinian advocates say the presence ​of settlers near villages is part of a bid to seize land. (AP PHOTO)

“The settlers have been attacking the village continuously since the outpost was established,” ⁠he added.

The Israeli military said ‌it ​was checking the incident.

Rights groups say the increasing settler presence ​on the edge ‌of villages is part of a campaign to seize land ​and eat into territory where Palestinians aim to establish a state.

Israel captured the West Bank in 1967 and ​since ​then the territory has been ​under Israeli military occupation, with settlers emboldened ‌by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has overseen a massive expansion of Jewish outposts.

The UN and most countries regard Israeli settlements as illegal under international law governing military occupations. 

Israel ​disagrees with that interpretation and says the territory’s status is ​disputed.

Reuters