Israeli settlers kill Palestinian during raid on occupied West Bank village

Israeli settlers have killed a Palestinian man during a raid on a village in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Ali Majed Hamadneh, 23, was killed after settlers opened fire during a raid on Deir Jarir, northeast of Ramallah, the ministry said on Saturday.

“He was brought to the Palestine Medical Complex in a critical condition” and later succumbed to his gunshot wounds, the ministry said on Telegram.

Palestinian official news agency Wafa also reported the incident.

“Armed colonists, under the protection of Israeli forces, attacked Deir Jarir from its western entrance and opened fire toward residents in the area,” said Wafa.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The raid comes two days after Israel approved 34 new settlements in the West Bank, a move condemned by the Palestinian Presidency’s office, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the European Union for violating international law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government has approved at least 102 settlements since coming to power in 2022 – a significant increase on past Israeli governments.

All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.

Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza began in October 2023.

There has also been a spike in deadly attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank since the United States-Israel war on Iran began at the end of February, Palestinian authorities and the United Nations have said.

Settler assaults on Palestinians have persisted for years, often to the indifference of mainstream Israeli society.

But the recent surge has prompted criticism from influential rabbis, settler leaders, and even Israel’s military chief Eyal Zamir, who called the attacks “morally and ethically unacceptable”.