Illegal Israeli settlers launch new attack on Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Illegal Israeli settlers launched a new attack on Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank on Friday, a local activist said.

"Israeli settlers launched an attack on the Arab Melihat community (of Jericho), forcing their livestock to flee," Hassan Melihat, the head of the Al-Baydar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights, an NGO, said in a statement.

He said the attack was the second on Friday after illegal Israeli settlers stole several sheep from a resident in the same area.

According to Palestinian figures, illegal Israeli settlers staged 415 attacks on Palestinians and their properties in the occupied West Bank last month.

Since the start of Israel's assault on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 986 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, the Health Ministry said.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.