Dozens of settlers stormed villages and set fire to houses in search of missing teenagers.
A Palestinian has been killed in an attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, where tensions remain high amid fears of further violence.
Dozens of settlers stormed the village of al-Mughayyir northeast of Ramallah, killing a Palestinian and wounding at least 25 people after a 14-year-old Israeli settler disappeared.
The attacks, which began on Friday and also set fire to several Palestinian houses, continued on Saturday when at least four Palestinians were injured in the village of Douma and another person in al-Mughayyir.
In Douma, several houses and cars were set on fire in front of Israeli forces, locals told Al Jazeera.
The Israeli army said the body of the missing teenager had been found. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “heinous murder” and “serious crime” on Saturday.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim reported from Abu Falah, north of Ramallah, that at least 40 vehicles and homes were destroyed in the attack.
There are fears that more Palestinian homes could be attacked, said Ibrahim, who witnessed several settlers still roaming the Palestinian village and at least two nearby Palestinian communities.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized “violent riots” by settlers in the occupied West Bank and called on the country’s leadership to intervene to prevent further killings.
“The violent riots of the settlers constitute a dangerous violation of the law and affect the security forces operating in the region,” Lapid posted on X.
Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “should stop the lawlessness on the ground before more blood is shed,” Lapid added.
‘Lack of accountability’
Since the war on Gaza broke out on October 7, raids by Israeli settlers and soldiers against occupied towns and villages in the West Bank have increased, killing hundreds of Palestinians.
Ibrahim reported that “settler attacks have increased and 2023 was the highest on record for settler attacks against Palestinians.”
She noted: “Already this year we have increased the number of attacks to three to four per day. Palestinians say the lack of accountability allows settlers to continue attacks.”
Near the village of Ein Siniya in Ramallah on Saturday, resident Abed Abu Awwad told Al Jazeera that settlers blocked a road and threw stones at his car, breaking a window.
Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim said Israeli forces had set up a checkpoint preventing cars from entering al-Mughayyir and surrounding villages.
The Israeli army, which previously said it had found the teenager’s body, posted on X that “security forces are continuing the pursuit of those suspected of the attack.”
Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said the Israeli army was conducting raids in several locations almost every night in the occupied West Bank.
“This is a strategy that the Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank have deliberately implemented – they say they are going after Hamas targets and anyone who is a fighter, but we are seeing more and more Palestinian civilians being arrested and we are seeing a ” There is a lot more violence in these areas,” Khan said.
The United States and the United Kingdom have announced sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of human rights abuses against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Human rights groups accuse the military of failing to curb settler violence or punish soldiers for misconduct.
The settlers are Israeli citizens living on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are illegal under international law.