Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir condemned the swift attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, in a rare public rebuke of Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territory. The daily cycle of violence Often backed by the Israeli military.

Herzog described the attacks on Wednesday as “shocking and serious,” adding a rare and forceful voice to senior Israeli officials’ harsh criticism of settler violence, which includes killing and beating civilians and destroying their property.

A group of Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque near the occupied West Bank town of Salfit on Thursday, Wafa news agency reported.

The agency cited a local activist as saying that Israeli settlers dumped flammable materials at the entrance to the mosque and wrote racial slurs on its walls. Residents helped put out the fire before it spread to the mosque, the report said.

Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the West Bank on Tuesday, setting fire to vehicles and other property before fighting with Israeli soldiers.

Herzog said the violence perpetrated by a “small number” of perpetrators “crosses a red line,” adding in a social media post that “all national authorities must take decisive action to stamp out this phenomenon.”

Zamir also strongly condemned the recent sharp increase in attacks.

“We are aware of recent violent incidents in which Israeli civilians have attacked Palestinians and Israelis,” Zamir was quoted as saying by the Israeli army on Wednesday.

“I strongly condemn them,” he said, adding that the Israeli military “will not tolerate the criminal behavior of a small group of people who tarnish the law-abiding public.”

The United States expressed concern

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was concerned that recent violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank could spread and undermine U.S.-backed peace efforts in Gaza.

“I hope not,” Rubio told reporters after a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Canada when asked whether the incidents would jeopardize the ceasefire in Gaza.

“We don’t want it to happen. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

In Tuesday’s incident, settlers attacked the villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf, setting fire to four cow carts, farmland, tin shacks and tents in the Bedouin community.

Palestinian official Muayyad Shaaban said the attacks were part of an effort to drive Palestinians from their land and accused Israel of granting settlers protection and immunity.

Israeli police said four Israelis were arrested for “extremist violence.”

A video verified by Al Jazeera showed several cars on fire as Palestinians tried to put out the flames.

Israeli soldiers were also attacked by a group of settlers and a military vehicle was damaged. This is rare, as settlers often operate with impunity, backed by the military.

‘Continuing cycle of terror’

Israeli troops and settlers carried out 2,350 attacks The Palestinian Authority’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Committee (CRRC) reported last week that a “continuing cycle of terror” had occurred in the West Bank over the last month.

Mu’ayyad Sha’ban, head of the CRRC, said Israeli forces carried out 1,584 attacks, including direct physical attacks, demolishing houses and uprooting olive trees, with most of the violence concentrated in Ramallah governorates (542), Nablus (412) and Hebron governorates (401).

Settler attacks often occurred in olive harvest September to November is a critical time of year, providing an important source of income for many Palestinian families.

On Monday, Israeli human rights group B’Tselem explain Settlers have been attacking Palestinians “on a daily basis”, including “shooting, beating and threatening residents, throwing rocks, burning fields, destroying trees and crops, stealing agricultural products, blocking roads, invading homes and burning cars”.

Israeli settlements only for Jews Community built Activities in Palestinian lands occupied by Israel in 1967. They are illegal under international law.

Today, 600,000 to 750,000 settlers live in more than 250 settlements and outposts in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. Many of these are located near Palestinian towns and villages, often leading to tensions and severe movement restrictions for Palestinians.

Settlers often carry weapons and are often accompanied or protected by Israeli soldiers. In addition to destroying Palestinian property, they carried out arson attacks and killed Palestinian residents.