Illegal Israeli settlers attack industrial area in central West Bank, burn Palestinian vehicles

A group of illegal Israeli settlers on Monday morning burned a number of Palestinian vehicles after attacking an industrial area in the central occupied West Bank.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that at least 20 vehicles were burned by armed settlers in the industrial area near Al-Bireh city.

The settlers opened fire at the civil defense teams and ambulances, and prevented them from reaching the burned vehicles, the witnesses added.

According to Palestinian figures, illegal Israeli settlers have carried out some 16,663 attacks on Palestinians, lands and properties across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October last year.

Data from the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now shows that there are half a million illegal settlers in 146 settlements and 224 outposts in the West Bank.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank due to Israel's brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 768 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 6,300 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion in July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land "illegal" and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.