Escalating West Bank violence has resulted in the deaths of 61 people, including children, since October 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Fatal Incidents in Qusra and Deir Jarir Highlight Rising Casualties
Violence in the occupied West Bank has claimed numerous lives amid ongoing regional conflict. Ibrahim Wadi, 62, and his son Ahmad, 24, were shot and killed by armed settlers in their car on October 12 while traveling through the village of Qusra south of Nablus, according to family members and local reports cited by CNN. The father and son were en route to a funeral for four Palestinians who had been shot dead by Israeli settlers earlier in the week.
Hani Odeh, the mayor of Qusra, stated to CNN that he had coordinated with an official from COGAT—Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories—to alter his travel route to avoid known settler gatherings. Despite this diversion, the vehicle carrying the Wadi family encountered armed settlers who opened fire. Odeh stated that he witnessed the attack from his own vehicle while Israeli soldiers patrolled the street without intervening.
Further west, in the village of Deir Jarir northeast of Ramallah, 23-year-old Ali Majed Hamadneh was killed during an Israeli military and settler raid, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The ministry reported that Hamadneh was brought to the Palestine Medical Complex in a critical condition on April 11 after armed colonists, operating under the protection of Israeli forces, opened fire toward residents.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 61 people have been killed in the occupied West Bank, and more than 1,250 have been injured since October 7. These figures run parallel to widespread casualties in the Gaza Strip resulting from Israeli airstrikes following Hamas’s October 7 attack, which left more than 1,400 people dead in Israel, predominantly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
In response to inquiries regarding the Qusra incident, CNN reported that COGAT and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not immediately provide comment. Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s spokesperson, stated that the military was on high alert in the territory, warning that anyone challenging security forces would face substantial force.
Settlement Approvals and International Condemnation
The recent surge in West Bank violence coincides with continued settlement expansion. Al Jazeera reported that the latest village raid occurred just days after Israel approved 34 new settlements in the West Bank. The Palestinian Presidency’s office, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union have condemned these approvals as violations of international law.
All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law. According to Al Jazeera, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government has approved at least 102 settlements since taking office in 2022, marking a significant increase compared to previous administrations. Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers currently live across the West Bank.
Internal criticism regarding settler violence has emerged from within Israeli leadership structures. While settler assaults have historically persisted with limited intervention from mainstream Israeli society, recent incidents have drawn rebukes from influential rabbis, settler leaders, and military chief Eyal Zamir, who characterized certain attacks as morally and ethically unacceptable.
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