A Palestinian man has been killed and others seriously injured in separate settler attacks in the occupied West Bank.

Locals report that in the past day, several new outposts – clusters of settler homes unauthorized by the government – have been set up in areas where the Palestinian Authority is meant to have full control.

Settler violence has surged in the West Bank since the onset of conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, beginning in late February.

Mohammad al-Malhi, who was killed, was the seventh Palestinian fatality attributed to settler violence during this period. His family claims he was shot in the head by settlers who had erected an outpost on their land near Bethlehem.

Family members indicated that Israeli soldiers had come to dismantle the outpost, but after their departure, settlers returned to rebuild it, leading to the shooting incident.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated there had been a clash between settlers and Palestinians, during which an Israeli civilian opened fire, resulting in one death and three other injuries.

On social media, videos show the aftermath of another attack where a 75-year-old man was brutally assaulted in his home near Tubas.

This recent upsurge in settler violence follows a trend observed during the previous Gaza war, spurred by a series of Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023.

In addition to the violence, this period has seen rapid growth in settlements, facilitated by the Israeli government. Reports indicate that last year marked a record-breaking expansion of settlements since UN monitoring began.

All settlements are deemed illegal under international law, and outposts are erected without official approval. Recent reports reveal thatIsraeli authorities retroactively legalized several such outposts throughout the West Bank this week.

Israel has established approximately 160 settlements that house around 700,000 Jewish residents since the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, areas eyed for a future Palestinian state by 3.3 million Palestinians residing in proximity.