Palestinian shot dead by settler while harvesting olives in West Bank – report

A Palestinian man was shot dead by a settler as he harvested olives near the village of As-Sawiya, Haaretz reports.

The report says Bilal Muhammed Saleh, 40, was shot in the chest, and that his death was confirmed by the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry, and by military sources.

According to Haaretz, Saleh was part of a group harvesting olives outside the village near Nablus when they were attacked by settlers.

A number of olive groves were apparently attacked in the area.

In a video circulating on social media which does not show how the incident began, it appears that there is a group of at least four settlers dressed in white. At one point, what sounds like a gunshot can be heard.

There is no immediate comment on the incident from the Israel Defense Forces.

Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden criticized Israel for not clamping down on extremist settler violence.

Biden has reportedly urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during phone calls in recent days to ensure that Israeli authorities are preventing growing incidents of settler violence, fearing that spiraling tensions in the West Bank could significantly exacerbate the current Gaza war.

כפר אלסאוויה ליד שכם. תיעוד למתנחלים במטעי זיתים של פלסטינים. משרד הבריאות הפלסטיני דווח על הרוג מירי מתנחלים. בלאל סאלח בן 40 נפגע מכדור חי בחזה. עדוית על התקפות במספר מטעי זיתים בגזרת שכם. pic.twitter.com/jTHrN50tdn

— Jack khoury.جاك خوري (@KhJacki) October 28, 2023