DaysofPal – Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi stated that the repeated attacks carried out by settler militias in the Masafer Yatta area of the southern West Bank are conducted under the direct protection of the Israeli occupation forces as part of attempts to forcibly displace the area’s residents.
Mardawi’s remarks followed the killing of Palestinian youth Amir Mohammad Shannaran and the critical injury of his brother Khaled Shannaran during a confrontation with settlers in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Masafer Yatta.
In a statement released Saturday, Mardawi mourned Shannaran and other Palestinians killed in recent incidents. He said the events reflected the determination shown by Palestinians who continue to defend their land and presence despite ongoing settler violence and military pressure.
Mardawi stated that the attacks carried out by settlers form part of broader attempts to impose a settlement reality by force in the area. According to him, Israeli forces provide protection that allows these assaults to occur.
He also referred to a decision by Israeli authorities to uproot olive trees across more than 100 dunams of land in the town of Ni’lin, west of Ramallah. Mardawi described the move as another act within what he called a systematic policy targeting Palestinian land and communities.
According to his statement, such measures aim to confiscate land and undermine the livelihoods of farmers, particularly through the expansion of settlements across the West Bank.
Mardawi warned that the continued escalation targeting Palestinian villages and towns could further increase tensions in the territory. He argued that these policies would not break the determination of Palestinians or force them to abandon their land.
He also called on Palestinians to strengthen solidarity and collective resilience, urging communities to provide support for farmers and protect land from what he described as a growing wave of settler attacks in different areas of the West Bank.
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