71-year-old Palestinian woman said injured in settler attack near Hebron

Three others reportedly injured in same incident, after settlers descended on village of Jabel Jales, sparking confrontation with residents

A 71-year-old Palestinian woman was wounded on Saturday in a confrontation between settlers and the residents of a village east of Hebron, in the West Bank, on Saturday, the Palestinian Authority’s Wafa news agency reported.

The woman was one of four Palestinians said to have been wounded when a group of settler extremists gathered in Jabel Jales, sparking a clash with the residents there.

She was evacuated for medical treatment along with two of the other injured Palestinians after suffering an apparent beating at the hands of the settlers, Wafa reported. A fourth person was treated at the scene by the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Footage captured from the Jabal Jales showed the settlers arriving in the village. Soldiers can be seen standing in front of the group of settlers, and two armored vehicles can be seen stationed nearby.

In response to a query from the Times of Israel, the IDF said that “forces were dispatched following a report of friction between Israeli civilians and Palestinians.”

“Upon arrival, the forces acted to disperse the confrontation, and all those involved were dispersed,” it added.

The incident was one of several violent attacks carried out by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank on Saturday.

In one such instance, settlers were filmed uprooting olive trees from a Palestinian orchard in the South Hebron Hills. And near Ramallah, footage showed a group throwing stones in the vicinity of the village of Deir Jarir.

Earlier on Saturday, a group of settlers had also attacked the West Bank village of Jalud, setting fire to electricity cables and putting down road spikes to delay the arrival of security forces.

And two Israeli settlers opened fire using army-issued weapons in separate incidents over the weekend — one at an Israeli paraglider mistakenly believed to be a terrorist, and another at Palestinian homes in a refugee camp, the military said Saturday.

Both settlers in the shooting incidents were part of “area defense force” units — known by its Hebrew acronym Hagmar — which are made up of local settlers in reserve duty.

Dozens of soldiers from Hagmar units have been dismissed for violations, including attacks on Palestinians, in recent years, that have come amid a broader wave of attacks by settler extremists on West Bank Palestinians.

IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth recently warned about rising settler violence, which he termed “Jewish terrorism.”

Critics accuse the government of turning a blind eye to violent attacks by settlers, which have become increasingly deadly in recent years.

The IDF has also faced criticism for often standing by while attacks unfold — with troops sometimes actively participating — or failing to prosecute those responsible.