NABLUS, July 23, 2026 (WAFA) — The Beit Furik Municipality, east of Nablus, said on Thursday that surveillance cameras documented Israeli colonists deliberately setting fire to agricultural land in the Beit Furik–Beit Dajan plain earlier in the day, sparking a large blaze that burned extensive areas of cultivated farmland.
In a statement, the municipality condemned the attacks on agricultural land, saying the fire broke out at around 10:30 a.m. after a colonist ignited the area, according to surveillance footage and testimonies from local residents.
It said residents rushed to extinguish the fire and protect their land but were confronted by dozens of Israeli colonists who, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, prevented them from reaching the burning areas at gunpoint.
The municipality added that colonists opened live fire at farmers and firefighting crews attempting to reach the site, while Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas. It said colonists continued setting new fires whenever residents managed to bring parts of the blaze under control, causing the fires to spread further.
According to the municipality, the attacks by Israeli colonists and occupation forces resulted in the killing of two young Palestinians, whose bodies continue to be withheld by Israeli authorities. Several others were injured by live ammunition and tear gas inhalation, while two additional Palestinians remain hospitalized, one of them in serious condition.
The municipality said the attacks are part of a series of repeated assaults targeting the plain, carried out by colonists under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. It noted that more than six farmers have been injured in the area in recent weeks, in addition to two other Palestinians wounded in the eastern part of the town, while significant damage has been inflicted on property and vehicles.
It added that Beit Furik remains under a tight closure, with ongoing military raids and repeated colonist attacks that continue to worsen conditions for residents and threaten their safety and livelihoods.
The municipality held Israeli authorities fully responsible for the attacks and their consequences, calling on the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other international and humanitarian organizations to intervene urgently to protect civilians, halt the repeated attacks on Palestinians and their property, and ensure accountability in accordance with international law.
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