Palestinians Fear an Escalation in Attacks by Jewish Settlers

It was an unusually quiet Sunday in the Palestinian town of Huwara, as it was completely devoid of traffic and pedestrians, while its shops and all public facilities were closed. On Saturday night, the Israeli army sealed off the town, closed all stores and deployed dozens of soldiers in the streets to prevent the residents from moving.

RELATED: 

Hamas Warns Israel Against Any Change in Al-Aqsa Status Quo

The blockade came following a drive-by shooting attack that wounded two Israeli soldiers in Huwara. Commenting on the latest shooting, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said "it is time to restore order there... or the next attack is only a matter of time."

On Saturday night, groups of settlers tried to attack the northern parts of the town, but the Israeli soldiers thwarted their attempts. Local residents of Huwara expressed their concerns that Israeli settlers would escalate their attacks against them as they did in February.

"As a result, none of the Palestinian males slept and we prepared ourselves to confront any settlers' attacks that would target our properties," said Firas Dumaidi, a young man.

In February, Huwara was subjected to violent revenge attacks by hundreds of Israeli settlers, after a Palestinian shot dead two Israelis near the Huwara checkpoint. At least a Palestinian was killed and tens of locals were wounded during the clash.

"Once again, we found ourselves, even without any prior notice, stuck in our houses and waited for our unknown fate," said Mirvat Dumaidi, a 50-year-old mother of five.

Meanwhile, groups of settlers on Sunday burned down a Palestinian-inhabited house in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah. Bahaa Fuqaha, a local official in the town, said that settlers threw incendiary materials at the house, in which a six-member family was staying.

"Miraculously, the family managed to escape from certain death," Fuqaha said, adding that "however, the family became homeless as its house was completely damaged."

The current tension came after a week of commitment issued by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority and Israel in a quintet meeting in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to calm a surge of violence in the West Bank ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Following the meeting, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority reaffirmed their commitment to advancing security, stability, and peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.

The Palestinian Territories have witnessed an escalation between the Israeli army and the Palestinians. At least 90 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers so far this year.