HEBRON CITY, Palestine

Illegal Israeli settlers blocked the convoy of Palestinian Local Government Minister Sami Hijjawi on Monday in Masafer Yatta, south of the West Bank city of Hebron.

A statement by the Local Government Ministry said the minister’s vehicle was stopped by settlers dressed in military uniform.

No further details were provided by the ministry.

The incident followed calls by illegal settlers to launch attacks against Palestinians in retaliation to a shooting attack that left three settlers dead in the northern West Bank.

According to media reports, illegal settlers blocked several roads between the cities of Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarem, and Jenin, attacking Palestinian cars with rocks.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank due to Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 45,850 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 838 Palestinians have since been killed and more than 6,700 injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on the enclave.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar