RAMALLAH: The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported today that Israeli occupation forces and colonists have deliberately started 273 fires targeting Palestinian land and property since October 7, 2023.
Mouayad Shaban, the head of the commission, stated that the Israeli occupation military and colonists have used the cover of the ongoing aggression by the occupying state to commit numerous crimes, with fires being a prominent method.
He said these actions reflect a clear attempt to perpetuate state-sponsored terrorism by terrorizing civilians and destroying their property, aiming to force a large-scale displacement and confine the Palestinian population to isolated, besieged enclaves.
Shaban detailed that since October 7, 2023, the Israeli military and colonists have intentionally caused 273 fires affecting Palestinian properties and fields. The most recent incident was an attack last night on the village of Jit, east of Qalqilya.
According to Shaban, the fires were concentrated in several gov
ernorates: 120 in Nablus, 42 in Ramallah and Al-Bireh, and 26 in Jenin. The fires ranged from 77 incidents targeting agricultural land and crops to 196 affecting residential buildings, vehicles, and other properties.
He also noted that of these fires, 56 were caused by military raids and assaults, while joint settler-military actions led to nine fires. Colonists were responsible for the majority, igniting 208 fires.
Shaban condemned the use of fires as a systematic and escalating method of inflicting severe damage, describing it as a tool of terrorism and intimidation aimed at causing significant losses to the social and economic fabric of Palestinian communities.
He warned that the continuation of such actions under the guise of war and emergency laws represents a blatant challenge to international norms and laws condemning the colonial settlement project and the official institutions that support and benefit from it.
The report also highlighted that, since October 7, 2023, settler violence has resulted
in the deaths of 18 Palestinians, injuries to over 785, and the displacement of 26 Bedouin communities.
“These figures underscore the dangerous empowerment of terrorist groups receiving official support in the form of funding, protection, and immunity, posing a stark defiance to international condemnation of the settlement enterprise and its sponsoring institutions,” Shaban concluded. Top of FormBottom of Form
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA
