Dozens of Israeli settlers set fire to houses and cars in the village of Jit in the occupied West Bank, resulting in at least one death, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The settlers, some wearing masks, threw rocks and Molotov cocktails during their attack on Thursday evening, near the town of Nablus, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported.
The Palestinian health ministry confirmed that a local villager in his early 20s was killed and another person was critically injured in the chest. The IDF stated that it was investigating the report of the fatality.
Israeli political leaders condemned the attack and vowed to punish the perpetrators. The IDF reported that one Israeli national was detained in Jit.
Footage has emerged on social media showing houses and vehicles set ablaze in Jit late Thursday, with plumes of smoke rising above the village.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying, “Those responsible for any criminal act will be caught and prosecuted.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote in a post on X: “This is an extreme minority that harms the law-abiding community of settlers and the settlement as a whole and in the name and status of Israel in the world during a particularly sensitive and difficult period.
“Law enforcement officials must act immediately” to bring those responsible to justice, Mr Herzog added.
In a statement, the IDF said its forces were deployed in the village “within minutes” of receiving reports of violence, shooting in the air to disperse the crowds. Attackers were then removed from Jit.
The IDF added that a joint investigation was launched by its forces, Israel’s security agency Shin Bet and the Israeli police following the “serious incident”.
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