Germany Condemns Israeli Settler Attacks in West Bank

Germany has strongly condemned the killing of Palestinian civilians in recent attacks carried out by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the occupied West Bank.

The statement was delivered Monday in Berlin by Joseph Hinterseher, spokesperson for the German Federal Foreign Office.

Hinterseher said violence against Palestinian civilians is unacceptable and stressed that Israel bears responsibility for protecting civilians in territories under its control.

Berlin also called for immediate investigations into all acts of violence committed by Israeli settlers and said it is closely monitoring developments in the West Bank amid rising tensions.

The comments follow several deadly incidents in recent days. On Sunday, three Palestinians were killed in the village of Abu Falah northeast of Ramallah after being shot by settlers and exposed to gas fired by the Israel Defense Forces.

In another incident south of Hebron, settlers killed a Palestinian and wounded others during an attack on a Palestinian community on Saturday. Earlier last week, two Palestinians were killed and three injured in the town of Qaryut in a separate settler assault.

Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023. According to Palestinian officials, Israeli military operations and settler attacks have killed 1,125 Palestinians, injured nearly 11,700 people and led to the arrest of about 22,000 individuals in the territory.