West Bank Settler Attack
Residents and emergency crews battled fires tearing through homes, vehicles and farmland in the village of Surra, southwest of Nablus, on Friday, following what Palestinian officials described as an attack by Israeli settlers.
Footage shows residents and first responders extinguishing fires engulfing a car and a house, while nearby property lies scorched and damaged as smoke rises into the air. An IDF soldier can also be seen stationed nearby.
“[Settlers] went down into the valley, then came straight up from it toward us. And the bulldozers were here cutting down and uprooting the olive trees,” said Asmahan al-Sarawi, whose home was burned.
“We saw them, and the house was full of children. […] We evacuated the house to protect the children, and we had barely reached the beginning of the road when they had already set the house on fire,” she continued.
Casualties and Surra Damage
According to Palestinian media, dozens of settlers entered Surra from the west, beat three residents and set fire to six homes and five vehicles. Reports added that farmland were also burned as residents confronted settlers
Local media also said that a 74-year-old man was injured by live-fire shrapnel after Israeli forces allegedly targeted his vehicle near the entrance to the village.
The IDF had not issued a statement on the reported attack in Surra at the time of publication.
Clashes in Nearby Tal
The violence followed a deadly confrontation in the nearby village of Tal earlier on Friday.
The Israel Defense Forces said a group of settlers, including children, entered Tal without coordinating with the army before clashes broke out with Palestinian residents.
According to the military, a Palestinian seized a rifle from an armed Israeli civilian and opened fire before being shot dead by an Israeli officer.
The Israeli military reported that two members of the Israeli forces were killed and two other Israelis were wounded.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said Israeli forces killed four Palestinians and injured four others during the confrontation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would meet the defence minister and the military chief of staff to discuss “possible responses to the bloody terrorist attack that took place this morning in Havat Gilad”.
He added: “We will act firmly against the terrorists and those who sent them, and we will not allow terrorism in the West Bank to re-emerge.”
Violence has surged across the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023, with Palestinians facing repeated Israeli military raids and attacks by settlers.
Article by Viory
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