Israeli settlers burned a residential structure and an agricultural room and sprayed racist slogans on the walls of Palestinian homes in the village of At-Tuwani in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, on Wednesday.
Osama Makhamreh, an anti-settlement activist in southern Hebron, told the official Palestinian news agency Wafa that armed settlers from the “Havat Ma’on” settlement, built on Palestinian-owned land and property, carried out the attack under the protection of Israeli soldiers.
The settlers set fire to a home belonging to Ibrahim Mohammad Abu Aram and an agricultural room belonging to Khalil Shehadeh Rab’i in the Shaab area of At-Tuwani in Masafer Yatta, he said.
Makhamreh added that the settlers also painted racist slogans on the walls of homes in the area.
Settlers have recently intensified attacks on Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, including assaults on homes and vehicles, attacks on residents and the installation of mobile homes on Palestinian-owned land.
Airborne Landing and Military Raids
Israeli forces carried out an airborne deployment of soldiers early Wednesday alongside a large-scale raid on the city of Yatta, south of Hebron.
Local sources said large numbers of Israeli forces raided the Fatouh area of Yatta, while soldiers were deployed from the air in the same area.
The sources added that the Israeli army informed several families that the raid was part of military training exercises in the area.
Meanwhile, settlers transported construction equipment to an outpost established on Palestinian-owned land in Khirbet al-Hums, south of Yatta, apparently to carry out construction and expansion work. They also raided the home of Khairy Abu Tuhfa in the area.
Electricity has also been cut off since midnight from several Palestinian homes in the southern part of Wadi al-Rakhim, south of Yatta, after settlers cut and burned the main electricity cable supplying the area.
Raids in Nablus and Surrounding Areas
Israeli forces raided the city of Nablus early Wednesday, accompanied by several armored vehicles, and deployed across several neighborhoods and areas of the city.
Local sources said Israeli forces entered Nablus through the Awarta and 17 checkpoints. Armored vehicles also raided Asira Street and the area around Al-Quds Open University west of Nablus, while infantry forces deployed in the Austrian Housing area west of the city.
The sources added that Israeli troops on foot raided the Al-Dahiya neighborhood east of Nablus. Israeli forces also raided Balata al-Balad east of the city and fired stun grenades while entering the Quran Academy area.
Later, Israeli armored vehicles raided the village of Asira al-Shamaliya, while other forces entered the town of Awarta amid a military deployment in several areas.
In the northern Jordan Valley, local sources reported that settlers had gathered near Palestinian homes in the Ein Ghazal al-Farisiyah area. No immediate information was available on the nature of the gathering.
Nablus Governorate has witnessed repeated Israeli military raids for months, targeting cities, towns and refugee camps. The raids have included searches, arrests and the use of stun and tear gas grenades, while several areas have also recorded attacks against Palestinians.
Source: Wafa
