Thousands of armed Israeli settlers urged to attack Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Through Whatsapp, a growing number of Israeli settlers on Friday, 13 October, urged their community to start using firearms given to them by the Israeli government against Palestinians, human rights sources told The New Arab.

An estimated 150,000 firearms have been distributed to illegal settlers so far, according to a security committee in the Israeli Knesset. 

The messages circulating via WhatsApp called on illegal Israeli settlers to carry fire weapons and target Palestinians along main roads as Palestinians prepare to demonstrate after Friday prayers at the entrances of cities throughout the occupied West Bank.

Already, attacks by Israeli settlers have been reported in Hebron and Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank on Friday afternoon. 

On Thursday, videos circulated on social media of the Israeli far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir distributing firearms to Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Earlier this week, the Palestinian foreign minister warned against arming Israeli settlers, calling it "giving a free hand to terrorist settler elements to commit more crimes against Palestinians".

Israeli press revealed on Wednesday that a report by the security committee in the Israeli Knesset estimated that 150,000 firearms in the possession of settlers in the West Bank are expected to rise to 165,000 this year.

Israeli settlers raid village of Qusra near Nablus & go on a shooting rampage, killing 3 Palestinians. As they retreat, Israeli soldiers move in and shot some more, killing a fourth resident of the village. 12 people are in hospital, one of them is reported in critical condition. pic.twitter.com/c2F8Xn73ul

— Nour Odeh 🇵🇸 #NojusticeNopeace (@nour_odeh) October 11, 2023

On Thursday, three Palestinians were killed by Israeli settlers, as Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank continues to rise since the Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday.

In the east of Ramallah, a 37 woman from the village of Deir Jarir was killed Thursday evening by an Israeli settler who opened fire on the car she was in with her family on her way home.

Early on Thursday, Israeli settlers killed 63-year-old Ibrahim Wadi and his 25-year-old son Ahmad Wadi in the Qusra village near Nablus. The two victims were taking part in the funeral of four Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers on Wednesday in the village.

"Ibrahim and Ahmad were standing by the road just outside the village waiting for the funeral to pass to join it", Mohammad Jawdat, a resident of Qusra, told The New Arab.

Israel's Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, arrives in the West Bank to hand out weapons to Israelis living in settlements there pic.twitter.com/JGuxjntoDv

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 13, 2023

"A settler approached them and opened fire from a handgun, then when people rushed to the site, the occupation army, who was standing by, opened fire at the crowd to disperse us", he said.

The four victims being mourned were killed on Wednesday during an attack on the outskirts of Qusra, which included opening gunfire by Israeli settlers.

In the evening, 37-year-old Randa Ajaj was killed by an Israeli settler while driving with her family back home in the village of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah.

"The family, who are close friends, rented a car from me to go on a family day out", Iskander Massis, a rent-car business owner and owner of the car that Randa's family drove, told TNA.

"As the main road to Ramallah has been closed since the events in Gaza started on Saturday, they had to take a longer route that passes close to the settlers-only road, where an armed settler opened fire at them", he explained.

Following the martyrdom of Randa Ajaj (37YO), shot by rabid zionist settlers near the town of Silwad earlier today, hours of confrontation against the zionist forces that shield these settlers have ensued. Ajaj is a resident of Deir Jarir, near #Ramallah.

Glory to the Martyrs! pic.twitter.com/77bLlol6eZ

— Mohamad Al Shami (@mamashami) October 13, 2023

"Randa's husband was lightly injured, but three bullets seriously wounded her 17-year-old son, and she died instantly", detailed the car owner. "We haven't had a settler attack of this degree of violence so close to our village in years, and we can clearly see that settlers are coming out willing to kill", he added.

Settler violence has been rising since the beginning of the year, with a clear spike since the Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday.

According to Khalil Tafakji, a Palestinian expert on Israeli settlements, "Settlers are a tool of Israel's strategy to end the issue of the West Bank by de-facto annexing it".

"We can see a clear pattern of a spike in settlers' terror in strategic areas in the West Bank, accompanied by economic pressure on Palestinians, forcing them to leave", said Tafakji.

"It seems like a second Nakba taking place, but more gradually and silently, and it is being implemented every day", Tafakji added.

Human rights sources told TNA that Israeli settlers have displaced five Palestinian Bedouin communities in the West Bank since Saturday.

On Thursday, Israeli settlers displaced several Bedouin families and the army from the Wad Al-Siq valley on the eastern slopes of the central occupied West Bank, east of Ramallah.

"The families arrived in Taybeh with little belongings, as the army confiscated most of their belongings during the forced eviction", a resident of the town of Taybeh who helped receive the displaced families and asked not to be named, told TNA.

They asked the mayor to settle on a piece of land in the town for a month while they find a new place to live, and we are trying to provide them basic needs", they said.

Since Saturday, 35 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank, and more than 1,500 by Israeli bombings on Gaza, half of them are women and children.