Israeli army reports violent clash in West Bank settlement

The Israeli military said a violent confrontation broke out on Saturday between Israelis and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, a day after a separate clash elsewhere in the territory left six people dead.

The military said the latest confrontation happened in the hilltop settlement of Susya in the southern West Bank. It said Israelis and Palestinians threw rocks at each other. The military said a person it described as a terrorist then stole the weapon of an Israeli civilian and that shots were fired into the air.

The military said one Israeli civilian was injured by rock-throwing and was taken for medical treatment. It said soldiers were pursuing the person who took the weapon and had set up roadblocks in the area.

Palestinian officials did not immediately comment on the incident.

On Friday, a similar clash between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the village of Tell in the northern West Bank killed two Israelis and four Palestinians.

Violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has risen since the Gaza war began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Excluding east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements, which are illegal under international law.

Israeli figures show that at least 48 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations since the start of the Gaza war. An AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data says Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,097 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, over the same period.