Israeli settlers target Palestinian villages in occupied West Bank, attacking people and properties

Extremist Jewish settlers have carried out a spate of attacks on Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes, vehicles and agricultural fields.

The violence began after a teenage settler - 18-year-old Yehuda Sherman - was killed on Saturday, after reportedly being hit by a vehicle driven by a Palestinian while on his quad bike. Police said they were investigating whether the hit was deliberate or accidental.

In response, WhatsApp groups used by settlers called for a "revenge campaign" over his death. More than 20 settler attacks were reported overnight, according to a defence official cited by Israeli media.

Settler violence has surged since the US and Israel attacked Iran, with six Palestinians killed by settlers since 1 March, according to the United Nations (UN).

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that its troops and border police units were dispatched to several Palestinian villages on Saturday night, after receiving reports of Israeli civilians "committing acts of arson against structures and property, as well as engaging in disturbances in the area".

The villages of Jalud, Qaryut, al-Funduqmiya and Silat al-Dhah were among those targeted.

Footage shared online, which the BBC could not independently verify, appeared to show more than 90 individuals wearing black - many of them masked - running into Jalud.

Other footage said to be from the village shows multiple vehicles on fire, buildings with smashed windows, and sirens ringing out as ambulances attend the scene. One photo shows the words "Avenge Yehuda" spray-painted onto a building.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said at least three Palestinians suffered head wounds and were taken to hospital after confronting the attackers in Jalud, some of whom were also reportedly injured.

Israeli media reported that one post in a WhatsApp group used by settlers read: "Jews won't remain silent over spilled Jewish blood". Another read: "We demand vengeance and expulsion of the enemy".

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the assault, saying it involved the "burning of homes and property, terrorising and killing of civilians, and the targeting of vital roads, junctions, and main streets during Eid al-Fitr".

Yesh Din, an Israeli civil rights group that works to protect the rights of Palestinians, described the attacks as "a night of pogroms".

"Despite prior knowledge of the planned attacks, forces once again failed to prepare accordingly," the group said in a statement posted on X on Sunday evening. "No preventive measures were put in place to stop the pogroms, and no suspects have been arrested - neither in real time nor since."

More than 500 people were in attendance for the funeral of Yehuda Sherman on Sunday afternoon, according to Israeli media, including Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich,who has been sanctioned by the UK and other countries for inciting violence against Palestinians.

On Sunday evening, Jewish settlers were blocking roads in protest in the occupied West Bank.

There were unconfirmed reports that settler groups had again begun to gather outside some Palestinian villages, with local news agency WAFA reporting they had set fire to a car wash north-west of Nablus.

Earlier this month, the EU and UK demanded that Israel halt the surge in settler violence against Palestinians which has taken place since the war in Iran began on 28 February.

Since the start of the year, seven Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and 18 by Israeli forces, according to the UN, with 15 of the killings taking place since the Iran war started.

The leader of Israel's centre-left Democrats, Yair Golan, condemned the latest attacks, accusing Israel's government of allowing it to happen. He wrote on X: "While we are fighting in Iran and on the northern border, under missile attacks and with many seriously wounded, this government is encouraging total anarchy.

"Jewish terrorism is spreading, exploiting the war, with the backing of extremist ministers and dangerous encouragement from the prime minister and the defence minister. This is a failure of responsibility for Israel's security."

After a separate attack last week, the IDF's chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir said the violence by settlers in the West Bank was "morally and ethically unacceptable".

Israel has built about 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem - land Palestinians want, along with Gaza, for a hoped-for future state - during the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them.

The settlements are illegal under international law.