Illegal Israeli settlers kill Palestinian, wound 3 in West Bank attack

Illegal Israeli settlers shot and killed a Palestinian man and wounded three others Wednesday in the village of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian medical sources.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Jihad Mohammad Ajaj, 26, was fatally shot by illegal settlers. Three others were hospitalized with moderate to critical injuries at the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that an illegal armed settler opened fire on a group of young men at the entrance to the village.

Earlier Wednesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that its teams transported two people injured in a settler attack in the village of Atara, north of Ramallah. One of the victims, a 50-year-old man, was shot in the pelvis with live fire.

The latest attack comes amid a surge in violence by illegal Israeli settlers and troops across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. According to official Palestinian figures, more than 1,050 Palestinians have been killed, around 10,300 wounded and over 20,000 arrested, including about 1,600 children, since the onslaught against the Gaza Strip began two years ago.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.