Six Israelis detained for attacking soldiers in West Bank: military
The fresh violence around the central West Bank village of Kafr Malik came after the Palestinian health ministry said three men died there in an attack by Israeli settlers on Wednesday.
Soldiers went to disperse a gathering of Israelis near the village overnight, the military said in a statement.
"Dozens of Israeli civilians hurled stones toward them and physically and verbally assaulted the soldiers, including the battalion commander," it said.
"In addition, the civilians vandalised and damaged security forces' vehicles, and attempted to ram the security forces," it added.
"The security forces dispersed the gathering, and six Israeli civilians were apprehended and transferred to the Israel Police for further processing."
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military declined to say whether those arrested were residents of Israeli settlements in the territory, occupied by Israel since 1967.
The military referred the query to the Israeli police, which was not available to comment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "firmly" condemned the violence in a statement, demanding an "in-depth investigation".
"Anyone who broke the law or acted against our soldiers must be prosecuted with the utmost severity," he added.
West Bank violence
On Wednesday the Palestinian health ministry said three men died in Kafr Malik in an attack by settlers.
AFP journalists saw several hundred people gather for the three men's funerals on Thursday.
The Palestinian foreign ministry alleged "official complicity" by Israel in Wednesday's attack, in a message on X.
"Israeli occupation forces prevented ambulance crews from reaching the wounded and obstructed civil defence teams from entering the village for several hours, allowing fires ignited by the settlers to spread and destroy dozens of homes," it said.
The Israeli military did not respond to a request by AFP to comment on those claims.
A military spokesman told AFP its forces intervened on Wednesday after "dozens of Israeli civilians set fire to property in Kafr Malik" and a "confrontation" involving "mutual rock-hurling" broke out between Israelis and Palestinians.
Referring to action by the Palestinians, the spokesman said: "Several terrorists fired from within Kafr Malik and hurled rocks at the forces, who opened fire toward the source of fire and the rock-hurlers."
Five Israelis were arrested, the military added.
Left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the five were released on Thursday. Police did not comment.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
Their growth has accelerated since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to office in 2022 in an alliance with far-right parties who wish to annexe the territory outright.
Countries including Britain and France and several human rights groups have condemned settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.
The Palestinian Authority says Israeli troops or settlers have killed 945 Palestinians, many of them militants but also scores of civilians, since the start of the Gaza war, according to Palestinian health ministry figures.
Israel says 35 of its soldiers and civilians have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids since that date.
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
Israeli settlers, protected by the army, ramp up violence in occupied West Bank
Lying in his hospital bed, Amir, age 15, managed a faint smile. The bullet that struck his back had exited through his right shoulder, grazing his temple on its way out. The teenager, whose parents preferred not to disclose his last name, was lucky. Outside his hospital window, three lifeless bodies were removed from ambulances. Murshed Hamayel, 35 years old, Mohamad Al-Naji, 21 years old, and Lotfi Baerat, 18 years old, had been killed just hours earlier, on Wednesday, June 25, during a brutal raid carried out by Jewish settlers on the village of Kafr Malik, located 17 kilometers northeast of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank. The army arrived at the scene and opened fire. Eight other wounded Palestinians were brought with Amir to the same facility shortly before midnight. Outside the emergency entrance, men collapsed in tears. Others climbed into ambulances to caress the faces of the dead. The bodies were already wrapped in the Palestinian flag. "The settlers coordinate on WhatsApp before they attack, they are monsters. Because of them, two days earlier, one of my friends died," stammered Amir Birat, 15, still in shock. It was on Wednesday, the day of Moataz Hamayel's funeral – a common name in the village – a 13-year-old also killed by Israeli gunfire on June 23, that the Jewish assailants, numbering more than 100 according to witnesses, returned to sow terror. "They arrived around 7 pm, 7:30 pm, started torching cars and attacking our homes. We tried to defend ourselves with stones and our bare hands. What else could we do?" sighed Hamdi, 27, lying in the same room as Amir, his left leg wounded by gunfire.
AFP
2 hours ago
- AFP
Ex-Iranian president did not die in latest Iran-Israel war
"Breaking news! Helicopter crash / According to the report, the plane carrying Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi exploded (June 24)," partly reads the Tagalog-language caption of a Facebook post shared on June 25. It displays an image that appears to be from a TV report, with The Tagalog-language chyron says, "Foreign leaders offered their condolences after the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi." Image Screenshot of the false post taken on June 26, 2025, with the red X mark added by AFP The posts circulated after Iran retaliated against Israel's major bombardment campaign on June 13 targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites and killing top officials (archived link). Residential areas have also been hit in the fighting, with the health ministry in Tehran reporting at least 627 civilians killed and 4,900 wounded (archived link). Iran's retaliatory attacks on Israel have killed 28 people, according to official figures. While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, their 12-day conflict was by far the most destructive confrontation between them (archived link). A US-proposed ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding (archived link). US President Donald Trump had accused both countries of violating the ceasefire he announced late June 23, but hours later he said that it was in effect. Several other users re-shared the circulating TV report as recent, and comments on the post indicate some users were misled. "Maybe this is just a show. Because Iran attacked last night," one user said. Another wrote: "Haha smell something fishy. Why did he die? Because they lost to America". But the widely shared image is from a news report in May 2024. of the news chyron found that the Philippine broadcaster News5 uploaded the report on its verified TikTok page on May 21, 2024 (archived link). The report originally aired on the May 20 newscast of News5's Frontline Pilipinas (archived link). Its video caption said in Tagalog: "The president of Iran was killed in a helicopter crash. The Iranian foreign minister also died from the accident." Visuals shared in the false post corresponded to the 1:06 mark of News5's video. Image Screenshot comparison of the false Facebook post (left) and the News5 report uploaded on TikTok, with the red X and rectangular elements added by AFP AFP reported the helicopter apparently made a "hard landing" in the Dizmar forest between the cities of Varzaqan and Jolfa in Iran's East Azerbaijan province, near its border with Azerbaijan, under circumstances that remain unclear (archived link). Former health minister and long-time parliamentarian Masoud Pezeshkian replaced the late Raisi after winning the 2024 presidential polls (archived link). The election was called early following the death of the ultraconservative president Raisi, and took place amid heightened regional tensions and domestic discontent (archived link). AFP has debunked other false information on the Iran-Israel war here.
LeMonde
4 hours ago
- LeMonde
UK PM condemns 'death to the IDF' chants at Glastonbury Festival
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday, June 29, added his voice to those condemning a British punk-rap group for anti-Israel remarks at the Glastonbury music festival, an incident that has already sparked a police inquiry. Bob Vylan led crowds in chants of "Death, death to the IDF," a reference to the acronym for the Israeli military, during their set on Saturday. British police officers are also examining comments by the Irish rap trio Kneecap, whose members have also been highly critical of Israel and its military campaign against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech," Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the Telegraph Sunday. "I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence." "The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast," he added, referring to the country's national broadcaster. One of Kneecap's members wore a T-shirt dedicated to the Palestine Action Group, which is about to be banned under UK terror laws. The festival's organizers said Bob Vylan's comments had "very much crossed a line." "We are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence," the festival said in a statement. Avon and Somerset police said Saturday that video evidence would be assessed by officers "to determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation." 'Life is sacred' The chants about Israel's military were led by Bob Vylan's frontman Bobby Vylan, and were broadcast live on the BBC, which airs coverage of Britain's most popular music festival. "I thought it's appalling," Wes Streeting, the Labour's government's health secretary, said of the chants, adding that "all life is sacred." "I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens," he told Sky News. The Israeli embassy said in a statement late Saturday that "it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival." But Streeting also took aim at the embassy, telling it to "get your own house in order." New Le Monde's app Get the most out of your experience: download the app to enjoy Le Monde in English anywhere, anytime Download "I think there's a serious point there by the Israeli embassy. I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said, citing Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. A spokesperson for the BBC said Vylan's comments were "deeply offensive" and the broadcaster had "no plans" to make the performance available on its on-demand service. Festival-goer Joe McCabe, 31, told AFP that while he did not necessarily agree with Vylan's statement, "I certainly think the message of questioning what's going on there (in Gaza) is right." 'A joke' Kneecap, which has made headlines in recent months with its pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance, also led crowds in chanting abuse against UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer and other politicians had said the band should not perform after its member Liam O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offense. He appeared in court this month, accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" after a video resurfaced of a London concert last year. The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK, and it is an offense to express support for them. O'Hanna has denied the charge and told the Guardian newspaper in an interview published Friday that "it was a joke – we're playing characters." Kneecap regularly leads crowds in chants of "Free Palestine" during its concerts, and fans revere them for their anti-establishment stance and criticism of British imperialism. Their detractors, however, call them extremists. The group apologized this year after a 2023 video emerged, appearing to show one singer calling for the death of British Conservative lawmakers. Israel began its offensive against Hamas in the Palestinian territory of Gaza after the militants launched an attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,412 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
