Jewish Settlers Burn Mosque Amidst Nakba Commemorations
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WEST BANK – As Palestinians commemorated the 78th anniversary of Nakba on Friday, violence flared up again in the occupied West Bank. Jewish Israeli settlers launched attacks on Palestinian communities, while Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager south of Nablus.
The Palestinian news agency, WAFA, reported that illegal Israeli settlers burned a mosque and several vehicles belonging to Palestinians in the village of Jibiya, northwest of Ramallah, early Friday morning.
Local sources told WAFA that the settlers entered the village before dawn and then set fire to the mosque and several vehicles. They also scrawled racist slogans on the walls of Palestinian homes.
The attack is said to be part of a broader pattern of violence, with Israeli settlers continuing to attack Palestinian villages and damage property throughout the occupied West Bank.
In a separate incident, illegal Israeli settlers also attacked homes in the town of Al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus.
Security sources quoted by WAFA said the settlers attacked homes along the town’s main road and damaged several doors. Residents reported that panic spread among women and children as the attack took place.
The town has long been a target of attacks because it is located on a main road used by Israeli settlers to travel between illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian Teenager Martyred
Hours later, a Palestinian teenager was reportedly martyred after being shot by Israeli forces in the same town. According to WAFA, Fahd Zeidan Oweis (16) was shot by Israeli soldiers in an area near Al-Lubban al-Sharqiya before dawn on Friday.
The Palestinian news agency also reported that Israeli forces prevented a team from the Palestinian Red Crescent from reaching the injured teenager.
Fahd was later pronounced dead. His body is reportedly still being held by Israeli occupation forces.
Israeli authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding the shooting incident.
The developments on Friday come amid escalating tensions throughout the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Palestinian sources report an increase in Israeli military operations, arrests, shootings, and the use of firearms, along with increased attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property.
According to official Palestinian data cited by Anadolu Agency, Israeli military operations and settler attacks since October 2023 have resulted in the martyrdom of 1,155 Palestinians, around 11,750 others injured, and nearly 22,000 arrested.
The wave of violence comes as Palestinians commemorate Nakba, the tragedy of the mass displacement of Palestinians during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. The commemoration is observed every May 15th by Palestinians around the world.