Two martyrs and injuries in a settler attack on Deir Jarir village north of Ramallah

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the martyrdom of two citizens by Israeli settler bullets in Deir Jarir village, located north of Ramallah city in the occupied West Bank. The ministry clarified in an official statement that the two martyrs are Owda Abd al-Rahim Owda Farakhna, 53 years old, and Ahmed Adel Rashid Abu Makho, 26 years old, who succumbed to their direct injuries.

Medical sources reported that the attack launched by settlers on the town also resulted in three other citizens being seriously injured. Medical teams attempted to provide first aid to the injured amidst difficult and complex field conditions due to ongoing confrontations in the targeted area.

For its part, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society stated that its teams initially dealt with a critical abdominal injury resulting from a direct settler assault. The injured person was quickly transported to the hospital for necessary treatment, while the attacks continued around the village for several hours.

In a later development, the society confirmed that ambulance crews dealt with two additional cases, one of which was a 55-year-old citizen who was in cardiac and respiratory arrest. Paramedics made strenuous efforts to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the injured during transport to the hospital due to the severity of his health condition.

Local sources indicated that the occupation forces not only provided protection to the settlers but also directly fired at a Palestinian ambulance. The ambulance was attempting to evacuate one of the injured from the attack site, which hindered the arrival of urgent medical aid and endangered the lives of the paramedics.

Sources quoted eyewitnesses as saying that groups of settlers stormed the old town area in Deir Jarir under heavy protection from the Israeli army and police. The intruders carried out provocative searches of homes and livestock pens, accompanied by physical assaults on residents and the theft of a number of sheep.

Village residents tried to confront the attack with their bare chests, leading to violent clashes in the village alleys and its surroundings. Occupation forces and settlers used live ammunition extensively against Palestinian youths who tried to protect their property and homes from vandalism and theft.

In a related context, armed settlers attacked citizens' homes in the Khallet Ghanim area of Surif town, using sticks and batons in their assault. The mayor of Surif confirmed that the attack resulted in an elderly man being injured in the head, in addition to a number of citizens suffering bruises and varying injuries.

The attacks did not stop there, as settlers released a herd of cows into lands planted with fruit trees in the Khallet al-Homs area south of Yatta and al-Maniya village east of Bethlehem. These practices resulted in the destruction of vast areas of agricultural crops and the sabotage of trees that support dozens of families.

In the northern West Bank, the occupation army stormed Immatin village east of Qalqilya, raiding a workshop at its main entrance and arresting three citizens. Local activists also reported the arrest of another citizen from the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron after raiding his home and abusing his family.

Regarding urban restrictions, the Israeli army distributed notices to stop work and construction in Palestinian facilities in the eastern part of Jenin city. This step comes within the framework of a systematic policy aimed at preventing Palestinian urban expansion in exchange for unleashing illegal settlement projects.

West Bank governorates have witnessed an unprecedented escalation in the pace of attacks by both the occupation army and settlers since October 2023. According to official data, these violations have resulted in the martyrdom of 1181 Palestinians and the injury of nearly 13,000, in addition to the arrest of thousands in daily raid campaigns.

Settlers—under the protection of the Israeli army and police—stormed the old town area in the village, carrying out searches, assaults, and sheep theft.