A Palestinian man was shot dead and at least 14 others wounded in a wave of settler attacks across the occupied West Bank on Thursday night, amid a sharp uptick in settler activity.
At least five new outposts were established overnight in what observers described as an unprecedented escalation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The violence comes as settlers rapidly expanded their presence on Palestinian land, including the establishment of four outposts in Area A, territory under Palestinian Authority control, where Israeli civilians are barred under Israeli law, as reported by Haaretz .
Separately, a young Palestinian man, Mustafa Hamad, died on Friday after succumbing to wounds sustained when Israeli forces opened fire during clashes at the entrance to Qalandiya refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem.
According to local sources, Israeli forces had stormed the camp’s main road at dawn, firing live ammunition and tear gas, sparking confrontations with residents. At least four people were wounded by live fire during the raid, while an injured young man was also detained.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, Thursday’s settler attacks left 14 Palestinians wounded in multiple incidents, while Haaretz reported that a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, Mohammad Ahmad Faraj, was shot in the head and later died of his wounds.
Faraj’s family said settlers had erected an outpost on their land near the Tekoa settlement, and that the shooting occurred after Israeli forces briefly arrived to dismantle the illegal camp before leaving.
"We waited all day, and finally, the Civil Administration came. The settlers fled when they saw the soldiers… then, the security force left," a relative told Haaretz .
Shortly after the soldiers left, the settlers returned and rebuilt the outpost, before opening fire on locals.
"They started to throw stones at us, and one of them started shooting. He shot a bullet into my cousin’s head from close range," the relative said.
"After the shooting, the army came and took us away. The settlers stayed there as if nothing had happened."
The Israeli military confirmed the shooting took place at a site where an outpost had been evacuated and then re-established "illegally", while police said a suspect had been arrested and was under investigation.
Elsewhere, residents of the village of Tayasir said settlers raided the area and opened fire on young men attempting to defend their homes, leaving at least four people wounded, including a 75-year-old man.
Kamal Daraghmeh, a resident, told Haaretz that settlers attacked him with clubs and iron rods while he was asleep, leaving him hospitalised after surgery.
Local officials said dozens of settlers took part in the raid, with some allegedly wearing Israeli military uniforms. Residents also reported repeated incursions in their villages involving home break-ins, detentions and theft.
In addition to the violence, five new settler outposts were established across the West Bank in a single night, four of them in Area A.
"Establishing four outposts in Area A is unprecedented by any measure," the Israeli NGO Kerem Navottold Haaretz , warning it reflected a breakdown in state control over settler activity.
"The establishment of four outposts in a single night is an extreme event with very few precedents in the history of settlements," the group added.
Further incidents were reported near Ramin, where seven Palestinians were wounded, and in areas near Hebron, where Bedouin families displaced by earlier settler violence were again forced to flee their homes following the establishment of a new illegal outpost.
The escalation comes amid growing concerns over the increasing frequency and intensity of settler attacks, as well as the rapid expansion of outposts deeper into Palestinian-controlled areas.
While Israeli authorities have acknowledged that some of the outposts were established illegally, rights groups say enforcement has been inconsistent, with settlers often returning shortly after being evicted and receiving support from powerful members of the Israeli government, such as far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.