Settlers protected by Israeli forces, escorted by settlers' leaders, including far-right Zvi Sukkot, Yossi Dagan, in charge of settlements in northern West Bank
Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers late on Tuesday night raided the Joseph tomb site, eastern Nablus city, the northern occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian state news agency Wafa quoted local sources as saying the settlers raided the tomb site under heavy protection of the Israeli forces, and performed Talmudic rituals at the site.
It also said the settlers were escorted by their leaders, including Zvi Sukkot, a Knesset member notoriously known for his anti-Palestinian rhetoric, and Yossi Dagan, in charge of settlements in the northern West Bank.
In parallel, the Israeli army stormed into the eastern area of Nablus and deployed its snipers on top of the buildings near the Joseph tomb site and destroyed nearby roads leading to the site, the Palestinian broadcaster added.
Venerated by both Muslims (Palestinians) and Jews (Israelis), Joseph's tomb has long been a flashpoint for clashes between the Palestinians and Israeli settlers.
Jews believe the site to be the burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Muslims, however, challenge this claim, saying an Islamic cleric – Sheikh Yussef Dawiqat – was buried at the site two centuries ago.
Since the start of the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, nearly 950 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers across the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
