Israeli settlers have attacked the Palestinian village of Jalud in the northern occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes and vehicles and forcing a displaced family to evacuate again.
According to local sources cited by Anadolu, settlers set fire to two homes belonging to the Tubasi family shortly after the family attempted to return to their property under an Israeli court order. The family had been displaced from the area for nearly two months.
Villagers reportedly tried to confront the attackers before Israeli forces arrived. The fires caused extensive damage to the two houses and sparked panic among residents.
The Israeli military said more than 100 settlers rioted in Jalud overnight, blocking roads, burning tyres and throwing stones at security forces. It said Israeli soldiers and Border Police officers were deployed to disperse the rioters and protect residents.
However, the military said the family’s return to the property could not be completed because of the violence.
Mahmoud Tubasi, one of the homeowners, told Anadolu that the family found extensive damage when they returned under the court order. He said settlers had occupied the property and prevented the owners from accessing it before returning during the night and setting the house on fire.
The Tubasi family had been forced to leave their homes in July following repeated harassment and violence by settlers.
The latest incident comes amid a reported increase in settler attacks across the occupied West Bank. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded more than 1,330 settler-related attacks against Palestinians between January and late July, an average of about six attacks per day.
In separate incidents on Tuesday, settlers reportedly assaulted an elderly Palestinian woman in Qaryut, south of Nablus, and attacked Palestinian homes and property in al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has called for an end to the violence, stressing that authorities have a responsibility to protect civilians and that international humanitarian law requires the protection of people and property in occupied territory.
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