Israeli soldiers take position in the middle of the market in the Old City of Nablus during a raid [Getty]
A reservist in the Israeli military, who was described as being drunk by soldiers, opened fire at Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank on Friday, in the latest violence to target the territory.
The shooter fired at homes in Al-Aroub refugee camp, located between Bethlehem and Hebron in the southern West Bank.
Soldiers who arrived at the scene after they were informed of the incident said the reservist is a settler from the nearby Har Keren outpost, and said that he was drunk, according to Haaretz.
They said that even at the time of their testimony, no Israeli law enforcement agency had opened an investigation, arrested the shooter, or confiscated his weapon, highlighting lax efforts by the army and police to curb increasing settler violence in the West Bank.
The military later said that the reservist was eventually detained by police for questioning and that his weapon was taken away from him.
On Thursday, the head of the Israeli military’s Central Command, Avi Bluth, warned of increasing “Jewish terrorism” in the West Bank, warning that such attacks were inflaming tensions and could lead to a Palestinian uprising.
Other Israeli officials have even spoken out against the violence, which has worsened since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023.
Near-daily attacks by Israeli settlers and military raids in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem have killed more than a thousand Palestinians, including children, since 2023.
Last month, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said that over 23,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces since 2023.
According to the PPS, around 700 women from Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel are held behind bars, while 1,800 children are also detained.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has continued with approving the construction and expansion of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank despite global outcry.
