One Dead as Israeli Settlers Set Fire to West Bank Village

 Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked the village of Jit in the occupied West Bank on Thursday evening, setting fire to houses and cars. The Palestinian health ministry reported that at least one person was killed, a local man in his early 20s, and another individual was critically injured. The attackers, some of whom were masked, threw rocks and Molotov cocktails during the assault, which occurred near the town of Nablus. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that they are investigating the report of the fatality and confirmed the detention of one Israeli national in Jit. Israeli political leaders have condemned the violence and vowed to hold those responsible accountable.

Social media footage that surfaced late Thursday purportedly shows houses and vehicles ablaze in the village of Jit, with plumes of smoke rising above the area. 

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement vowing that "those responsible for any criminal act will be caught and prosecuted." Israeli President Isaac Herzog took to X to condemn the violence, describing it as the work of an "extreme minority" that tarnishes the reputation of law-abiding settlers and Israel itself during a sensitive period. Herzog called for immediate action from law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that its forces were deployed to Jit "within minutes" of receiving reports of the violence, firing shots into the air to disperse the crowds and removing the attackers from the village. The IDF, along with Israel’s security agency Shin Bet and Israeli police, has launched a joint investigation into the "serious incident."

The US has condemned the attacks by settlers as "unacceptable and must stop." A spokesperson from the White House National Security Council stated that "Israeli authorities must take measures to protect all communities from harm, including intervening to stop such violence and holding all perpetrators accountable."

Palestinians often accuse Israeli security forces of permitting violent settler groups to attack their villages. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there have been over 1,000 settler attacks on Palestinians since October, resulting in the displacement of at least 1,390 people, including 660 children. Many of these attacks have been deadly; OCHA has recorded 107 incidents leading to Palestinian fatalities or injuries, and 859 causing damage to property.

While international focus has largely been on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, the severity of settler violence has led the US, EU, and UK to impose sanctions on certain settler leaders and, for the first time, against entire settler outposts.