Violence is escalating in the West Bank. On Saturday, a Palestinian woman and an NBC News team were attacked and injured by masked Israeli settlers in the Israeli-occupied territory, according to reports. This was reported by infohub.kz.
The attack occurred in the village of Jalud, near Nablus. While the journalists were interviewing Aida Ahmed Abdullah and her family, a car with Israeli license plates reversed up the hill toward them. At least four men with their faces covered jumped out and hit them with sticks and threw rocks.
NBC News correspondent Matt Bradley said, "They jumped out, beat us, then jumped back in the car." Bradley was hit twice in the arm and treated at a nearby clinic. Abdullah, 51, was taken to a clinic by the Red Crescent; her injuries were not life-threatening. Three other team members were also injured.
Producer Lawahez Jabari said they had not expected such an attack in the village. Camera operator Khaldoon Eid echoed that sentiment. Several violent incidents were reported in the area that day. In the nearby village of Qusra, Palestinian workers were pepper-sprayed by Israeli settlers.
Israeli security forces said they received reports of "violent clashes, including stone-hurling toward Palestinians and additional civilians." They stated that security forces went to the house, removed the rioters, separated the groups, and worked to restore order. Vehicles suspected of being used to reach the area were confiscated.
Earlier this month, a group of settlers blocked supplies from reaching Palestinian homes in a village near Nablus, trapping residents inside, which drew strong criticism from the US ambassador. Israeli forces continue to patrol the area, while settlers roam the surrounding hills.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government has been accused of turning a blind eye to settler attacks, condemned the "criminal acts of violence" by "a handful of rioters who violate the law, cause enormous injustice to the law-abiding settler public, hinder the IDF in fulfilling its missions and harm Israel's standing in the world."
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israeli forces or settlers killed 76 Palestinians in the West Bank in the year to 24 July. Three Israelis were killed over the same period.