Palestinian killed in West Bank settler shooting

A Palestinian man was killed in Deir Dibwan in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry, which said Israeli settlers opened fire. The death came a day after two other Palestinians were reported killed in Al-Mughayyir.

RAMALLAH: A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian health ministry, marking the third fatal shooting reported in two days.

The ministry identified the victim as 25-year-old Awda Atef Awawdeh and said he was killed by settler gunfire in Deir Dibwan, a town in the central West Bank east of Ramallah.

Earlier, the Palestinian Red Crescent said a person was being taken to hospital after being wounded during what it described as an attack by settlers in Deir Dibwan. The individual had been “wounded by live gunfire in the back during an attack by settlers”.

Asked about the incident, the Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.

In a post on X, the Palestinian Authority government media office said Israeli forces had detained Palestinian residents of Deir Dibwan. It also shared footage that appeared to show dozens of men walking in a line along a road.

Two more deaths reported a day earlier

The Palestinian Authority said Israeli settler gunfire on Tuesday killed two Palestinians in the village of Al-Mughayyir, also in the central West Bank. The victims were identified as 14-year-old Aws Hamdi Al-Naasan and 32-year-old Jihad Marzouq Abu Naim.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it was examining the Al-Mughayyir incident.

According to the military, soldiers were sent to the area “following a report of rock hurling towards an Israeli vehicle carrying several civilians, including a reserve soldier, who exited the vehicle and opened fire at suspects in the area”. Troops reached the scene and “acted to disperse the violent confrontation”, without giving further details.

Violence in the West Bank

The latest killings come amid a rise in violence involving Israeli settlers across the West Bank since the start of the Middle East war on February 28.

Based on Palestinian health ministry figures, at least 1,065 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli troops or settlers since the start of the Gaza conflict. The tally includes many militants as well as scores of civilians.

Official Israeli figures say at least 46 Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations over the same period.

The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.