Thu Jul 31 15:45:34 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
The text reports on an attack by Israeli settlers on the Palestinian village of Silwad in the West Bank on July 31, 2025. According to the Palestinian Authority, settlers set fire to homes, cars, and farmland, resulting in the death of a 40-year-old Palestinian man due to smoke inhalation. Witnesses corroborated the attack, claiming the settlers came from nearby illegal outposts. The Palestinian Authority also reported attacks on other villages in the area and alleged that Israeli soldiers accompanying the settlers fired on Palestinian civilians. The Israeli military confirmed that property and vehicles were set on fire but stated that forces dispatched to the scene could not identify the perpetrators. The incident is part of a surge in violence in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war and highlights the ongoing tensions between Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the occupied territory.
**News Article:**
**Israeli Settler Attack Kills Palestinian Man, Sets Fire to West Bank Village**
**Silwad, Palestinian Territories – July 31, 2025** – A 40-year-old Palestinian man was killed in the village of Silwad, near Ramallah, today after Israeli settlers allegedly attacked the village, setting fire to homes and cars. The Palestinian Authority (PA) is condemning the attack, calling it the latest act of violence in the occupied West Bank amid escalating tensions fueled by the ongoing Gaza conflict.
According to the PA’s health ministry, Khamis Abdel-Latif Ayad died from smoke inhalation after settlers set fire to homes and vehicles in Silwad. Witnesses reported that the attackers, allegedly from nearby illegal settlement outposts, torched property and fled the scene.
“A car dropped them off, they burned whatever they could and then ran away,” said Raafat Hussein Hamed, a Silwad resident whose house was among those set ablaze.
The PA further stated that other villages in the vicinity of Silwad were also targeted, with vehicles, homes, and farmland being set on fire. The PA also alleges that Israeli soldiers accompanying the settlers fired live bullets and tear gas at unarmed Palestinian civilians attempting to defend their communities.
The Israeli military confirmed that suspects set fire to property in the Silwad area. However, they stated that forces dispatched to the scene were unable to identify the perpetrators and that an investigation has been launched by Israeli police.
This incident is part of a surge in violence in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. The AFP reports that Israeli security forces and settlers have killed at least 966 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, while at least 36 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period. The escalating violence is raising concerns about the potential for further instability in the region.
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