Israeli settlers seize eight homes in West Bank village near Jericho
Palestinian security sources said the settlers, accompanied by their families, smashed doors, and the houses were empty during the raid.
Israeli settlers seized eight homes in the West Bank village of al-Duyuk al-Tahta, west of Jericho, on Wednesday evening, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Palestinian security sources told WAFA that the settlers stormed the eight homes together with their families and smashed the doors.
The houses were empty when the raid took place, and the settlers remained inside the properties, the sources said.
In a related development, Israeli forces stormed Jericho and its refugee camps on Wednesday evening and deployed military vehicles along the city's streets, according to the report.
Al-Duyuk al-Tahta has faced repeated settler attacks, including raids on homes and seizures of property, as part of what Palestinian reports describe as ongoing expansion in the area.
The village's residents have also been affected by efforts to take control of Palestinian land and property, which Palestinian officials have long opposed.
Jericho lies in the Jordan Valley, and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.
Under the Oslo interim accords of the 1990s, the West Bank was divided into areas with different levels of Palestinian and Israeli control, and the status of the settlements remains a core issue in peace talks.
