Nearly two dozen cars were set on fire by Israeli settlers early Monday in Al-Bireh, near Ramallah, in the West Bank. An alert has been triggered “at 3:30 a.m [2 h 30, heure française], settlers having entered the area and engaged in acts of vandalism”reported Rami Omar, head of civil defense in the West Bank, territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
An Agence France-Presse correspondent noted that some cars were completely burned and that a five-story building in front of which some were parked had been blackened by the flames. “There could have been a massacre in this building”denounced Ramallah Governor Laila Ghannam. “Attacks are increasing because of impunity”she continued. According to residents of the building, more than 60 people live there. Israeli police and the Shin Bet, the domestic intelligence service, said they had opened an investigation.
The attackers “have already carried out several attacks against surrounding villages”Abdullah Abou Rahmah, member of the Palestinian Commission against Settlements, told Agence France-Presse. The West Bank has experienced an outbreak of violence since the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, 2023. The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded in its latest report nearly 270 incidents linked to settlers between October 1, 2023.is and October 28 in the West Bank.
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