Israeli Settlers Raid West Bank Village of Burqa; Woman and Child Reportedly Injured
A group of Israeli settlers entered the Palestinian village of Burqa, east of Ramallah, on Monday evening, in an incident that reportedly left a woman and her young son injured and caused damage to property.
Video circulated from the scene shows groups of people moving through the village, some carrying sticks. Additional footage published online reportedly showed settlers taking sheep from the area.
Burqa Mayor Sayel Kanaan told the Palestinian Authority's WAFA news agency that settlers entered the village from its eastern side, broke into a home and assaulted people inside. In a subsequent account, Kanaan said a woman in her 50s was struck with sticks and stones and suffered a bleeding head injury, while her 10-year-old son was pepper-sprayed in the face.
Kanaan further alleged that settlers attempted to set fire to a tractor, a vehicle scrapyard and a sheep pen. Those details are based on the mayor's account and had not been independently confirmed at the time of reporting.
Israeli forces subsequently arrived and worked to disperse the confrontation, according to The Times of Israel. WAFA alleged that several Palestinians were detained while no Israeli settlers were arrested. There was no immediate IDF response reported concerning those allegations.
The incident follows several days of tensions around Burqa. On August 29, the village mayor reported another settler incursion in which farmers were attacked and a vehicle was damaged, while on August 30 local sources reported another group entering areas around the village.