Israeli settlers torch Palestinian farmland near Ramallah in West Bank escalation

Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian agricultural land east of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, media reports said Friday.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, said the arson attack targeted more than 200 square meters (2,153 feet) of land between the villages of Al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah, with the Israeli army protecting the settlers during the assault.

Wafa noted that attempts by settlers to burn Palestinian land east of Ramallah have become a daily occurrence.

The latest attack follows one Thursday near Salfit, where settlers burned multiple vehicles belonging to Palestinians and attempted to torch homes during a raid on Bruqin, leaving eight civilians with burn injuries. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported treating all casualties on-site.

Since the start of the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, nearly 970 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers across the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The International Court of Justice declared last July that Israel's longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.