News - Middle East: Palestinian officials say Israeli settlers have seized hundreds of acres of agricultural land in the southern parts of the occupied West Bank, in line with the regime's land grab policy.

Local officials reported on Monday that the settlers have plowed the land in preparation for takeover, with direct support from the Israeli military.

The settlers had first plowed the land owned by the Palestinian residents of the town of Idhna, west of al-Khalil, in preparation for taking it over.

The settlers were backed by Israeli forces, who fired tear gas and sound bombs at Palestinians who attempted to resist the incursion.

The town’s officials described the move as an Israeli aggression against private property, emphasizing that the settlers had already confiscated most of the town’s land since 1948.

They said the latest land grab is part of Israel’s broader settlement expansion policy across the West Bank.

“This land is ours; we inherited it from our ancestors, and we will not give it up,” Jaber Tmeizi, the mayor of Idhna, asserted.

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, over 7,150 settler attacks have been documented in the past two years, resulting in the deaths of 36 Palestinians and the displacement of 33 Bedouin communities.

Furthermore, 114 new settlement outposts have been established on occupied land during this period.

In total, the past two years have witnessed the loss of 1,065 Palestinian lives and approximately 10,000 injuries across the West Bank, underscoring the rising tensions and violence in the region.

Source: PressTV