Israeli forces shoot, wound Palestinian man while escorting settlers to Joseph's Tomb near Nablus

Israeli troops shot and critically injured a Palestinian man near the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday night, as they escorted Jewish settlers headed towards Joseph’s Tomb.

The forces then clashed with Palestinians in the area, according to Haaretz, citing The Red Crescent.

Videos shared online showed army vehicles knocking down infrastructure and chasing Palestinians away.

شاهد| قوات كبيرة من جيش الاحتلال تقتحم المنطقة الشرقية بنابلس لتأمين اقتحام المستوطنين لقبر يوسف. pic.twitter.com/hbGvSB9FTM

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) August 15, 2023

The Israeli forces could also be seen shooting at the Palestinian men.

The injured victim has yet to be identified.

Tuesday’s shooting comes as another Palestinian was shot by the Israeli army near a Hawara checkpoint, also in the Nablus governorate.

The young man was detained and had his vehicle confiscated, while medics seeking to assist him were prohibited from doing so, according to the Palestinian official news agency Wafa, which cited the Red Crescent.

Israeli forces and settlers have carried out numerous acts of violence at Joseph’s Tomb, a religious site revered by Samaritans, Jews, Christians and Muslims, which is located in a densely-populated area in the eastern part of Nablus.

The incidents usually occur as Jewish settlers attempt to storm the site under the protection of Israeli police.

Both groups have attacked Palestinians, vandalised their belongings and harassed passers-by as they forcefully make their way to the religious site. 

Earlier this year, three Palestinians were wounded by Israeli forces in a similar raid.

Israeli settlers have been storming Joseph's Tomb to perform prayers since the early 2000s, as they claim the site to be the burial place of the Biblical figure Joseph. Palestinian Muslims, however, say that the tomb is is where an Ottoman-era Sheikh, Yousef Dweikat, once lived.

There are at least 700,000 illegal settlers in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.