Israeli settler injured in stabbing attack near Nablus, West Bank

An Israeli settler was moderately to seriously injured on Monday in a stabbing attack at a farm near the village of Usarin, southeast of Nablus in the West Bank, according to the Israeli military.

Sources said large numbers of Israeli army and police forces rushed to the scene and launched a search operation for the attacker around the "Outsarin" settlement, imposing a security lockdown on nearby villages, according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The newspaper added that the victim received initial treatment at the scene before being airlifted to hospital by a military helicopter.

Rising tensions and violence

The attack comes amid rising tensions in the West Bank, where incidents of violence and clashes between Palestinians and settlers have increased in several areas recently.

Earlier in the day, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that settlers attacked Palestinian residents at dawn and damaged electricity poles, as well as agricultural facilities in the towns of Beita and Usarin, south of Nablus.

Local sources said a group of settlers assaulted Palestinian residents in the Abu Hamra area of Beita, injuring two people with bruises, and cut and damaged electricity poles, causing power outages in several homes.

Warnings and calls for calm

These incidents coincided with Israeli warnings of a deteriorating security situation in the West Bank. A senior Israeli official warned that continued tensions could lead to an uncontrollable escalation, amid growing flashpoints and economic pressures.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew stated that the Israeli government is responsible for ensuring the safety of Palestinians in the West Bank, following a rise in settler attacks.

Reuters, citing two informed sources, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the removal of settlement outposts established without official approval, though no timeline was given for implementation.

The West Bank has witnessed near-daily attacks targeting Palestinians and their property in recent months, while arrests of suspects remain limited. The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported that 25 Palestinians were killed in settler attacks during the first eight months of this year.