Hundreds of Israeli settlers surrounded Palestinian villages and attacked residents across the occupied West Bank, after an Israeli boy who had gone missing from a settlement was found dead.
The body of Binyamin Achimair, 14, was found in the area of Malachei Ha’Shalom, with the Israeli military saying he was killed in a “terrorist attack.”
It is unclear yet what was the cause of death, and the IDF is yet to provide evidence that this was a “terrorist attack.”
Footage shows heavy smoke engulfing the air, as settlers fire gunshots in the area. Eyewitnesses said settlers stormed people’s houses, resulting in clashes with Palestinians.
Videos on social media show clashes between Palestinians and settlers in the villages of Deir Dibwan and Beitin, east of Ramallah.
Palestinians are seen lobbing rocks at the settlers, and Israeli military vehicles firing tear gas to disperse the crowds.
The latest attacks by settlers come a day after a large-scale attack in the village of Al-Mughayyir east of Ramallah, leaving one Palestinian man dead, amid the search for Achimair. About 25 others were also injured in the rampage, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that authorities were searching for whoever killed Achimair, urging Israelis to not obstruct them.
“The abominable murder of the boy Binyamin Achimair, may God avenge his blood, is a serious crime. I send my heartfelt condolences to his family,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s office (PMO) said in a statement.
“IDF and Shin Bet forces are in an extensive pursuit of the despicable murderers and all those who cooperated with them,” it continued.
