Investigation launched into assault, vandalism near Nablus after reported settler attack, police say

Police say they have launched an investigation after receiving a report about assault and material damage in the Nablus-area Palestinian town of Osarin, where Palestinian media said settlers attacked olive pickers and stoned homes and vehicles.

Officers accompanied by the IDF have entered the town, in the West Bank’s Area B, and begun gathering evidence and testimony for the investigation, police say.

The IDF, in its own response, says troops were dispatched to Osarin following “footage and reports of Palestinians and property being attacked by Israeli rioters in the area.”

The soldiers identified the damage caused by the settlers and searched for the rioters, “who had fled before the troops reached the scene,” the military says.

“The IDF strongly condemns such incidents and emphasizes that they harm defensive activities in the area,” the military adds.