Hundreds of Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian homes in occupied West Bank

Over 100 Israeli settlers, some wearing masks, stormed the village of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, vandalising and setting fire to Palestinian homes and cars, resulting in the death of at least one person.

Palestinian Red Crescent stated on Thursday that one Palestinian was critically wounded by gunfire from an Israeli settler, while another was killed during the vandalism. Settlers torched six cars and four homes.

Videos circulating on social media showed the village engulfed in flames, with homes burning in the aftermath of the attack.

The horrific incident comes amid a surge in settler violence since October 7 in the occupied West Bank, exacerbated by the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.

The Israeli military stated that its forces intervened to diffuse the chaos and arrested one settler in connection with the violence. The Israeli prime minister and president condemned the incident.

Numerous violent incidents involving Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank have been reported, with occupation forces often failing to intervene or standing by as Palestinians are attacked.

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) highlighted in a press release on July 21 an increase of nearly 250% in the deaths of Palestinian children during Israeli military operations across various cities.

UNICEF also reported that the Israeli army's aggressive measures and severe restrictions on movement are severely impacting "the physical and mental well-being of thousands of children and families."

Before the current military escalation, the UN agency noted that the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem had already been experiencing the "highest levels of violence in 20 years," resulting in the deaths of 41 Palestinian children and 6 Israeli children in 2023.