’24 hours of hell’: Israeli settler gangs terrorize Palestinian town under army protection
Huwwara has been under near constant attack since Thursday afternoon, when groups ofarmed settlers began attacking several points in the town as they were escorted and enabled by the Israeli army.
Israeli settlers continued their attack on the Palestinian town of Huwwara in the northern occupied West Bank for the second day in a row on Friday, vandalizing several storefronts, vehicles, and homes, while Israeli forces fired live ammunition at Palestinians in the town.
At around 1 p.m., as Friday prayers were ongoing in the town, groups of armed and masked Israeli settlers began attacking homes and storefronts off the main road of the town, that connects Huwwara and the surrounding villages with the city of Nablus to the north.
“They started throwing rocks at passing cars, breaking the windows of the stores and vandalizing them from the inside, vandalizing vehicles, trying to set them on fire, and attacking homes,” Salamah Saleem, 60, a local activist, told Mondoweiss.
“They did all this during prayer time, when most of the men in the village were in the mosque, and it was just the women and children who were at home alone,” Saleem said. “These are planned attacks, and they are getting worse with each day.”
Following Friday prayers, dozens of local youth from Huwwara took to the streets to confront the settlers and soldiers. Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, sound grenades, and tear gas at locals, causing a number of injuries.
At least two Palestinians were injured with live ammunition, with one reported to be in serious condition, according to local sources.
Huwwara has been under near constant attack since Thursday afternoon, when groups of armed settlers began attacking several points in the town, primarily on the main road, vandalizing dozens of storefronts and vehicles. The settlers also burned olive trees, and attacked several homes, a local amusement park, and a cafe on the outskirts of the town.
A representative from the local council in Huwwara told Mondoweiss that at least eight young men were detained from the village since yesterday, four of whom have been released, and four who are still in Israeli custody.
“What’s happening right now in Huwwara is terrifying, and it’s a sign of what’s to come in the rest of the West Bank as the settlers continue their violent rampages on Palestinian towns like ours,” Saleem said.
The first attack
The first attack began shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, when a gang of masked and armed settlers arrived on the main road of Huwwara, and began attacking cars that were both passing by and parked on the road.
“It all happened suddenly. They started throwing large rocks at the cars, trying to break the windows of any Palestinian car that they saw around them,” Saleem said. “Then they started to attack the shops and storefronts.”
“They started breaking the windows and doors down, and entering the shops and breaking everything inside,” Saleem said, adding that the settlers were armed with bats, large sticks, rocks, knives, and guns. “There were teenagers with guns. We saw 15-year-old settlers with guns.”
https://mondoweiss.net/2022/10/24-hours-of-hell-israeli-settler-gangs-terrorize-palestinian-town-under-army-protection/