Israeli settlers attack Palestinian home in occupied West Bank
Israeli settlers have attacked a Palestinian home and several cars in the villages of Burin and Madama, south of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, local sources said, adding that Israeli forces who arrived at the scene did nothing to stop the attack.
According to Wafa news agency, settlers from the Yitzhar settlement – established on Palestinian lands south of Nablus – attacked a house belonging to the Hindi family with stones, and smashed its windows and several cars belonging to Palestinians.
Israeli forces arrived at the site of the attack to provide protection for the settlers, witnesses told Wafa, and fired live bullets and tear gas canisters at Palestinians. No injuries were reported.
The UN has documented more than 650 settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since October 7, an average of four settler attacks every day – the highest since the UN started recording such incidents in 2006.
Palestinian journalist arrested by Israel in Ramallah
Israeli forces have arrested Rula Hassanein, a Palestinian journalist, from her home in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, and confiscated her laptop and phone. Hassanein’s arrest takes the number of journalists detained in the occupied territory since October 7 to about 60.
At least 40 of them remain in jail, and more than half are detained without charges. Hassanein’s family told local media that she had debated whether to take her nine-month-old baby with her as she was still breastfeeding, but ultimately decided not to.
Israeli forces continued to carry out raids across the occupied West Bank, including Nablus, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, Hebron and Jenin.
Israel intent on ‘muzzling’ Palestinian journalists
Omar Nazzal, the deputy head of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, says Israel’s latest crackdown on journalists at al-Shifa Hospital is part of a longstanding campaign of intimidation. “The main objective is to deter journalists from speaking the voice of Palestinians,” Nazzal told Al Jazeera in Ramallah. Israeli forces are “intimidating journalists by showing that anyone who speaks out will be their next target”, he said.
As of today, at least 95 journalists and media workers – the overwhelming majority of them Palestinians – have been killed since the start of the war in October, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In addition to the dangers faced in the line of duty, Nazzal said Palestinian journalists are also at risk of abuse or torture in Israeli jails, where he says 62 are currently held.
“There is no doubt that journalists are under massive danger,” said Nazzal.
Israeli strikes in Syria destroy Hezbollah weapons depots
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli air raids earlier today hit a Hezbollah weapons cache near Yabroud, 80km (50 miles) north of Damascus, destroying weapons and ammunition there.
This follows earlier reports by the Syrian state news agency SANA that Israeli air strikes had targeted military sites near Damascus, with Syrian air defences downing several of the missiles.
According to the Syrian Observatory, this was Israel’s second strike on a Hezbollah site in Syria since Sunday, when Israeli forces hit another weapons storage site in the same area.
This year, Israel has waged 25 attacks on Syrian territory, killing 43 fighters, it added.
