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Israeli settler kills Palestinian, violence surges in West Bank

Messenger Desk

Published: 10:58, 29 October 2023

Israeli settler kills Palestinian, violence surges in West Bank

Photo : Collected

A Jewish settler shot dead a Palestinian man harvesting olives near the West Bank city of Nablus, the man's uncle said Sunday (29 October). This brings the number of Palestinians reported killed by settlers to seven since Hamas's bloody incursion into Israel three weeks ago.

Tayseer Mahmoud said his nephew, Bilal Saleh, was working in the grove in the village of Sawiya with his wife and their four children on Saturday (28 October) when a group of settlers attacked them. Saleh, concerned about the safety of his children, tried to leave the area, but a settler shot him in the chest, Mahmoud said.

Settler leader Yossi Dagan said in a video posted on the social media platform Facebook Saturday that the shooter was accompanied by family members and fired in self-defense after they were "attacked with rocks by dozens of rioting Hamas supporters."

The deadly shooting took place amid a spike in settler violence since Hamas militants infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 Israelis and taking over 230 others hostage. The incursion touched off a war that has killed more than 7,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

In addition to the killings, Palestinians in the West Bank have reported attacks on people and property, as well as denial of access to their land.

Messenger/Sun Yath