Israeli fire kills two Palestinians during settler assault on West Bank town

Israeli fire killed two Palestinians during an army-backed settler attack in the occupied West Bank on Sunday.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the victims as Ahmad Adel Abu Mukho, 26, and Odeh Abdul Rahim Odeh Farakhneh, 53.

According to local media, the attack began at night when a group of Israeli settlers stormed the town of Deir Jarir, north-east of Ramallah.

Eid Hammad, head of the Deir Jarir village council, said settlers raided a house in the old town and stole a number of sheep.

Residents who tried to stop the attack were met with live fire from settlers and Israeli soldiers, he said.

Hammad added that Israeli forces prevented ambulances from reaching the wounded. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Israeli troops also opened fire on one of its ambulances.

Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has long been a feature of life in the occupied West Bank, but it has intensified sharply since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

Settlers now carry out near-daily attacks on Palestinian towns and villages, including arson, vandalism, assaults and forced displacement, often under the protection of Israeli forces.

من بلدة دير جرير شرق رام الله، حيث استشهد شاب برصاص قوات الاحتلال، خلال هجوم للمستوطنين.

للتفاصيل: https://t.co/YQVPY7sPqk pic.twitter.com/7jWsCMRRql

— موقع عرب 48 (@arab48website) July 19, 2026

On Saturday, settlers set fire to a Palestinian-owned home in the village of Tell, south-west of Nablus, while the Israeli army burned dozens of olive trees in Deir Qaddis, west of Ramallah.

Last month, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory reported an unprecedented and sustained escalation in settler violence against Palestinians.

The commission said the Israeli government supports the attacks through financial backing, logistical assistance and military protection.

“Violence by settlers is the direct outcome of Israeli policies that support, enable and protect their actions,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the commission.

The report said settlers killed seven Palestinians and wounded 832 others in 2025, a 130 percent increase on the previous year.

The violence has continued into 2026, with attacks reported on a near-daily basis.

According to the Palestinian Authority's Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, at least 50 Palestinians have been killed by settlers since October 2023, including at least 15 this year.