Israeli settlers attack the West Bank, three Palestinians killed in Abu Falah

Palestinian authorities and the Israeli military said three Palestinians were killed on Sunday in an attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, the second fatality in as many days. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that Thaer Faruq Hamayel, 24, and Farea Jawdat Hamayel, 57, were shot dead in Abu Falah, a town northeast of Ramallah; seven others were injured. Palestinian Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the assault on X, calling it a brutal attack on innocent civilians. The IDF said it had deployed troops to the Abu Falah area after reports of an attack by Israeli civilians against Palestinians near a settlement. “Lately, two Palestinians were killed by gunfire, and it was reported that another Palestinian died from suffocation,” the IDF said in a statement. The head of the Israeli military in the West Bank, Major General Avi Bluth, stressed that the incident is unacceptable: “There will be no tolerance for civilians taking the law into their own hands. This action is dangerous and does not represent the Jewish people or the State of Israel.” Violence in the West Bank has surged since Hamas’’ attack triggered the Gaza war, though ceasefire efforts continue and tensions between settlers and locals remain high.