A violent attack by dozens of masked Israeli settlers on the Palestinian village of Jit, near Nablus, has resulted in the death of at least one Palestinian and injuries to another. Social media footage from the scene showed cars and houses engulfed in flames.
According to the Israeli military, the attackers used petrol bombs and rocks, prompting the use of “riot dispersal means” to quell the violence. An Israeli suspect has been arrested following intervention by police and army units.
The Palestinian health ministry confirmed that one person was killed and another injured by gunfire from the settlers. Ibrahim Sadah, a local resident, described the attackers as around 100 armed settlers who fired live bullets. He claimed that the deceased was a family member who had come to assist during the attack. “May he rest in peace,” Sadah said.
Another resident, Rabah Sbu Hasan, recounted the chaos, stating, “We were in our houses when we were surprised by more than 90 people. My children and I were next to the car… I saw them burning the car, then setting two other cars alight. My son fought them off and pushed them back.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, stating it was viewed with “utmost severity.” He assured that those responsible would be “caught and prosecuted.”
The White House also condemned the violence, with a statement from the National Security Council urging Israeli authorities to take measures to protect all communities, intervene to prevent such violence, and hold perpetrators accountable.
The incident in Jit is part of a troubling pattern of attacks by settlers, which Palestinians frequently allege are permitted or ignored by Israeli forces. More than 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, with many deaths occurring during military raids aimed at militants but impacting civilians as well.
Israeli authorities have been accused of facilitating violence by approving new settlement homes, which are deemed illegal under international law. Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War, areas that Palestinians seek for an independent state. Israel, however, considers the West Bank disputed territory and maintains control over most of it.
The international community, including the US and European countries, has consistently called on Israel to take stronger actions to prevent settler violence and address the broader conflict.
