Several Palestinians, including children, were treated for tear gas inhalation on Saturday following an Israeli military raid on the village of Al-Mughayyir, located northeast of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank. According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the incident began when illegal Israeli settlers targeted the Shaab al-Lawz neighbourhood, where they attempted to storm several residential homes.
In response to the tension, Israeli forces entered the area and deployed tear gas canisters, which resulted in multiple injuries among the local population. Wafa noted that the region northeast of Ramallah has faced a pattern of repeated military incursions and attacks by occupiers against Palestinian residents and their property.
This event occurs against a backdrop of escalating tensions in the occupied West Bank. On Wednesday, the United Nations reported that illegal settler violence has reached unprecedented levels, documenting more than 1,430 attacks across approximately 260 Palestinian communities since the start of the year. UN data indicates that these attacks, combined with ongoing home demolitions and evictions, have led to the displacement of 3,800 Palestinians, nearly half of whom are children.
Since the onset of the Gaza war in October 2023, Palestinian figures show a significant surge in violence across the occupied West Bank. Reports indicate that Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed more than 1,183 Palestinians, injured approximately 13,000, and detained nearly 25,000 people during this period.
