Husni Nedim / Anadolu

Palestinians from the village of Sarra in the northern occupied West Bank recounted on Friday details of an attack launched by settlers under the protection of the Israeli army on homes and property of citizens, resulting in a house being burned, vehicles damaged, and panic caused.

Mohammad Abdul Latif al-Turabi, whose home and car were damaged in the attack, said dozens of settlers stormed the village southwest of Nablus and attacked citizens' homes with stones and bottles while the Israeli army was present.

He told Anadolu: 'We were sitting safely in our homes, and we were surprised by hundreds of settlers attacking the houses and pelting them with stones and bottles.'

He pointed out that the Israeli forces did not prevent the attack, but later intervened to prevent residents from reaching the targeted areas and extinguishing the fires set by the settlers.

He said: 'My car was damaged, and part of my house was damaged, and thank God in any case, property can be compensated.'

Meanwhile, Umm Wahid al-Sarawi, whose house was burned, recounted the difficult hours she and her family experienced during the attack.

She said her family had expected the area to be attacked due to the proximity of settlers to the village, so family members were gathering at her home during the night in anticipation of any assault.

She added: 'A bulldozer approached the house and began removing olive trees, then fire broke out and the settlers approached, so we were forced to leave.'

She continued: 'My children started screaming from intense fear, and we did not know where the attack was coming from.'

She explained that the settlers attacked the houses and vehicles while children were inside the homes, noting that residents managed to get family members out of the place before they were harmed.

She said: 'The children were holding onto each other from intense fear, and they were all screaming, but thank God everyone came out safely.'

Al-Sarawi praised the villagers and young men who rushed to help and confront the attack, saying they helped evacuate children and families from the damaged homes.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that two citizens were injured as a result of an assault by settlers in Sarra village, and they were transferred to the hospital for treatment.

Also, local sources reported that Israeli settlers, under army protection, stormed the outskirts of the village and set fire to areas near homes, while clashes broke out between citizens on one side and settlers and the Israeli army on the other.

The same governorate witnessed another attack today carried out by settlers under Israeli army protection on the town of Tel, which resulted in the deaths of 4 Palestinians, a settler, and two Israeli soldiers.

The West Bank has seen a rise in settler attacks and Israeli army incursions since the start of the genocide war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

The Israeli assaults during that period have resulted in the deaths of 1,182 Palestinians and the arrest of about 24,000, according to official Palestinian data.