“Israel” Martyrs New Palestinian in WB, Escalates Settlements

By Staff, Agencies

“Israeli” occupation troops have shot dead a middle-aged Palestinian man during an incursion into the central part of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry and medics said, as settlers began constructing a new illegal settlement outpost in the Jordan Valley.

The Palestinian health ministry said it was informed by the so-called General Authority of Civil Affairs that 59-year-old Jabrin Ahmad Jabr Qatt had been martyred after being shot by “Israeli” forces in the town of Madama, south of Nablus, on Friday.

The ministry added that his body was being withheld. The “Israeli” occupation forces prevented Palestinian medics from reaching him, it said.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society [PRCS] also said its crews were barred from accessing a wounded man earlier in the evening, adding that “Israeli” forces later abducted him and transferred him to an unknown location.

Local sources were quoted as saying that “Israeli” occupation used live fire, stun grenades, and tear gas during clashes with Palestinian youths near the Yitzhar settlement, built on land belonging to Madama.

“Israeli” occupation forces also raided the Far’a refugee camp, located 12 kilometers south of Jenin, on Friday.

According to local sources, the “Israeli” occupation forces stormed the camp on board several military vehicles and fired tear gas canisters at its residents. They later withdrew from the camp without any reports of abductions or injuries.

Separately, a group of illegal settlers started the construction of a new outpost in Khirbet Al-Malih, located in the northern Jordan Valley, northeast of the occupied West Bank.

The Al-Baydar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights described the move as an attempt to pressure Palestinian residents into leaving their homes, farmland, and grazing areas.

Baydar reported that throughout January, illegal settlers repeatedly assaulted the residents of Khirbet Al-Malih. These acts included threats, physical attacks, and attempts to appropriate land – all part of a deliberate strategy aimed at Bedouin communities in the northern Jordan Valley, with the backing of “Israeli” forces.

Over the past week, Israeli occupation forces have escalated their attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank and Occupied Al-Quds, committing 1,024 violations, including killings, arrests, home raids, and assaults on property and religious sites.

Palestinian figures show “Israeli” forces and illegal settlers have martyred at least 1,108 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Al-Quds, injured nearly 11,000, and detained 21,000 since October 2023.