Palestinian officials say settlers killed man in West Bank

Palestinian officials said Israeli settlers shot dead a Palestinian man and injured another during a raid on the village of Yasuf in the northern occupied West Bank on Thursday.

The Palestinian health ministry said 51-year-old Mashhour Yassin was killed “by settler gunfire” in Yasuf, north of Ramallah. The Palestinian Red Crescent said its teams had treated two men wounded by live fire during the attack, including a man in his fifties shot in the abdomen.

Yasuf mayor Jumaa Abdel Fattah said dozens of settlers armed with sticks and firearms attacked the village at around 1 pm. He said Yassin was at his doorstep when settlers attacked homes and went out to defend his house. The mayor said Yassin's nephew was also injured.

Israel's military said it was looking into the details of the attack.

Abdel Fattah said the settlers came from the nearby settlement outpost of Havat Anton, established in July, and said it had caused previous tensions with Palestinian residents. Yasuf is located between four Israeli settlements.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements, which are illegal under international law.

Violence in the West Bank has increased since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,112 Palestinians in that period, including militants and civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data. The United Nations says at least 37 Palestinians were killed specifically by settlers over the same period.

Israeli figures show at least 49 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations during the same period.