Israeli forces opened fire Friday during a joint peace event near Beit Sahour in the southern West Bank, according to an Israeli rights group, with no injuries reported.
Combatants for Peace, a left-wing Israeli organization, stated that the shooting occurred during a joint activity involving its activists and Palestinian landowners on the outskirts of Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem.
The group reported that heavily armed settlers fired in their direction aiming to force them to leave, while Israeli forces intervened not to halt the settlers but to push the activists and journalists out of the area, allowing the settlers to remain.
The event was attended by representatives from the Beit Sahour municipality and Bishop William Shomali, a senior official of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Combatants for Peace released footage reportedly documenting the incident, showing an occupier firing into the air before aiming his weapon at participants, with gunfire audible in another clip.
Israeli army forces arrived at the scene approximately 30 minutes after the shooting began, and the activity concluded without injuries.
Participants included Palestinians, Israelis, and journalists, who called for an immediate investigation into the incident.
“Despite the threats, we will continue to show up, ensure Palestinians safe access to their land, and support their resilience through collective action,” the group stated.
The event was held to protest attempts to displace Palestinians from their land and rising settler attacks in the West Bank.
Combatants for Peace includes Palestinian and Israeli activists who call for an end to the occupation and achieving peace between the two peoples.
The United Nations warned that occupier violence in the West Bank had reached unprecedented levels, documenting more than 1,430 attacks since the start of 2026 targeting around 260 Palestinian communities.
According to the UN, the attacks, alongside demolitions and evictions, displaced 3,800 Palestinians, approximately half of them children.
Also Read
- IMAX’s CTO Sells 15,000 Shares, Reducing His Stake by a Substantial 26% as the Stock Soars
- China Recalls Millions of EVs Over Hidden Door Handle Safety Worries
- US Unleashes ‘Economic D-Day’ Sanctions as Iran Threatens to Halt All Gulf Oil Exports
- China’s Arctic Trade Route Expansion Confronts Structural Barriers