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NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers raided a northern West Bank village on Saturday for the second time this week, leading to clashes with local Palestinians, a PA official said.

Dozens of settlers from the illegal outpost of Esh Kodesh raided the Nablus village of Qusra, firing live ammunition into the air, settlement monitoring official Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an.

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the area to defend the village, throwing stones at the settlers until they retreated.

No injuries were reported.

Israeli forces deployed heavily in the area and fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades at Palestinian villagers, Daghlas said.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said "there is an ongoing confrontation between Palestinian and Israeli civilians near Esh Kodesh. IDF soldiers have arrived at the scene and are using riot dispersal means."

On Tuesday, dozens of settlers raided Qusra and uprooted more than 190 olive trees. Several residents of the village were assaulted, and homes and a tractor were also damaged in the raid.

Settler attacks on Palestinian communities and their property are systematic and rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

All Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law.