Jerusalem, Jan 21 (AP) Residents of Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank say Israeli settlers have rampaged through their communities and set a large fire.

Officials in Jinsafut and Al-Funduq, two villages roughly 50 km north of Jerusalem, said that dozens of settlers had attacked homes and local businesses.

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Jalal Bashir, the head of Jinsafut's village council, said that settlers burned three houses, a nursery and a carpentry shop located on the village's main road.

Northward in Al-Funduq, Louay Tayem, head of the local council, said dozens of Israeli settlers had fired shots, thrown stones at homes and burned cars, homes and shops.

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The Palestinian Red Crescent said it treated 12 people who were beaten by settlers. It gave no details on their conditions.

Israel's military said it dispersed the settlers and launched an investigation.

The West Bank has seen a surge in settler rioting and violence since October 7, 2023. Rights groups say that arrests for settler violence are rare, and prosecutions even rarer.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported 1,432 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties or property damage in 2024, and additional attacks in and near Nablus last week. (AP)

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