Netanyahu condemns violence in West Bank

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned recent violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, describing the actions of those responsible as those of a "handful of rioters". According to Netanyahu, the attacks in the villages of Qusra and Jalud were causing "grave injustice" to the law-abiding Jewish community, interfering with Israeli military operations, and harming Israel's standing in the world.

The violence occurred when dozens of masked settlers attacked Palestinian homes. In one instance, in Qusra near Nablus, settlers surrounded a Palestinian home where seven people were trapped and threw stones. The homeowner, Luay Bayruti, reported that Israeli soldiers arrived after he called for help, then handcuffed, blindfolded, and beat those inside before releasing them.

A medic also reported that soldiers fired tear gas into the home. The Israeli military stated that troops and border police arrived to remove "rioters" and protect residents inside the house.

Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed 235 children and teenagers in the West Bank, according to a report by AFP. An Israeli rights group, B'Tselem, reported that five of the 235 children were killed by Israeli settlers. This number represents a significant increase from the period between 2005 and 2021, when an average of roughly one Palestinian child or teenager was killed by Israeli forces every month.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, The National Business, The National UAE, Malay Mail, Middle East Eye — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.