Israel Intensifies West Bank Atrocities amid International Silence
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – At least four Palestinians, including a teenager and an elderly woman, were killed as Israeli settlers and occupation forces launched a wave of coordinated assaults across the occupied West Bank, with attacks backed and protected by the Israeli military.
Israeli settlers, under full protection from occupation forces, attacked the Palestinian town of Kafr Malek northeast of Ramallah, killing three Palestinians and injuring seven more.
The assault saw dozens of settlers storming the area, torching Palestinian homes and vehicles.
Local sources confirmed that Israeli soldiers opened live fire on residents trying to defend themselves, further escalating the brutality.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported treating five Palestinians for gunshot wounds, several of whom are in critical condition.
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the attacks, stating the settlers operated “under the protection of the Israeli army.”
He appealed to the international community to "urgently intervene to protect our Palestinian people."
In a separate raid on the town of al-Yamoun west of Jenin, Israeli troops shot and killed 15-year-old Rayan Tamer Houshieh with a bullet to the neck.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed his death, while the Red Crescent noted that medics were unable to save him despite immediate intervention.
His killing marks the second teenage casualty in two days.
Thirteen-year-old Ammar Hamayel was also fatally shot in Kafr Malek on Monday.
Meanwhile, settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles near al-Maniya southeast of Bethlehem, hurling stones and inflicting damage without any restraint or accountability.
In another alarming development, Wafa reported that settlers “stormed” al-Malihat village northwest of Jericho, again under direct protection of Israeli soldiers.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli forces shot and killed a 66-year-old Palestinian woman, Zahriya Joudeh al-Obaid, during a raid on Shu’fat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.
Her husband confirmed she was on their rooftop and posed no threat when police targeted her with a fatal headshot.
The West Bank, home to over three million Palestinians, remains under relentless Israeli military rule.
Around 500,000 Israeli settlers live illegally in more than 100 settlements across the occupied territory, shielded by a vast military infrastructure and layers of violent impunity.
While global attention has focused on Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, Palestinians in the West Bank continue to face lethal force, home demolitions, settler violence, and systematic displacement.
Since the start of Israel’s latest campaign in Jenin 156 days ago, at least 40 Palestinians have been killed, according to Wafa.
Military incursions into Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps have displaced over 40,000 people, UN data shows.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has called on Israel to immediately halt all settlement activity and settler violence.
“Israel must cease all settlement activities, evacuate settlers, stop the forcible transfer of the Palestinian population, and prevent and punish attacks by its security forces and settlers,” Turk stated.
Despite these calls, Israeli forces continue their daily raids and settler-backed terror with impunity, leaving Palestinian communities besieged and unprotected.
