RAMALLAH: Israeli settlers shot dead a Palestinian man and injured another during a raid on a village in the northern occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to the mayor and the Palestinian health ministry. The raid came as international criticism mounts over surging levels of settler violence against Palestinians in the territory, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed last week. The Palestinian health ministry said Thursday that 51-year-old Mashhour Yassin was killed “by settler gunfire” in Yasuf, north of Ramallah. Earlier on Thursday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said its teams had tended to two men wounded by live fire during the attack, including a man in his fifties shot in the abdomen. Israel’s military told AFP it was looking into the details of the attack. Yasuf mayor Jumaa Abdel Fattah confirmed to AFP that dozens of settlers armed with sticks and firearms had attacked the village, which is located between four Israeli settlements, around 1 pm (1100 GMT). “Yassin was at his doorstep when the settlers attacked the village homes. He went out to defend his house,” Abdel Fattah said, adding that Yassin’s nephew was also injured in the attack. Abdel Fattah added that the settlers had come from the nearby settlement outpost of Havat Anton, which was established in July, causing previous tensions with Palestinian residents. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank in settlements illegal under international law, a minority of whom engage in violence towards Palestinians. Violence has increased in the Palestinian territory since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, with Israeli soldiers or settlers killing at least 1,112 Palestinians in that period, including both militants and civilians, per an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian health ministry. Over that same period, at least 37 Palestinians were killed by settlers specifically, according to the UN. Israeli figures show at least 49 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations during the same period.