Masked settlers carried out a violent attack in the West Bank village of Beit Furik near Nablus, burning multiple buildings and a car, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The attack followed reports received by the IDF that Palestinians had allegedly stolen a herd of sheep and assaulted an Israeli man.

Shortly after, a group of masked Israelis entered Beit Furik, sparking a “violent confrontation” with local Palestinians. The clash included stone-throwing on both sides, according to the military.

IDF troops and Border Police officers arrived at the scene and used riot control measures to disperse the rioters. The military reported no known injuries during the incident and confirmed that no arrests had been made.

“The IDF condemns events of this type and will continue to act with determination to maintain security and order in the region,” the military stated.

According to Haaretz, the IDF believes those responsible came from the settlement of Itamar, which has a reputation for housing an extreme far-right community.

This incident is part of a troubling pattern. Last month, settlers set fire to homes and farmland in the Palestinian village of Jalud. In September, nine people were injured when settlers attacked Palestinians and human-rights activists in the Jordan Valley.

Settler violence has surged since the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre. Tensions have also heightened with the onset of the olive harvest, which the United Nations has described as “the most dangerous olive season ever.”

Jewish perpetrators in such attacks are rarely arrested, and rights groups note that convictions are even more uncommon. Most charges related to these incidents are eventually dropped.

Since October 7 last year, the IDF has detained around 5,250 Palestinians in the West Bank, including over 2,050 individuals affiliated with Hamas.

During this time, the Palestinian Authority health ministry reports that more than 716 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed. According to the IDF, most of these were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters in confrontations with troops, or terrorists involved in attacks.

In the same period, 41 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. An additional six security personnel died in clashes with armed operatives in the West Bank.

{Matzav.com Israel}