Description

Photo:
8-year-old Laith Yousif Shatat. Published by Maan News
____

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian child was hospitalized for a head injury after being deliberately hit by an Israeli settler driving in the town of Yatta in the southern occupied West Bank on Wednesday, according to witnesses.

Locals told Ma’an that that 8-year-old Laith Yousif Shatat was run over by an Israeli settler while the child was standing outside of his school, which is located on the main road in eastern Yatta.

Shatat was taken to the al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron city. His condition remained unknown.

An Israeli police spokesperson said he was unaware of the attack.
Incidents involving Israeli settlers hitting Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory are a relatively regular occurrence, and are usually treated by Israeli security forces as accidents, even in cases when witnesses claim the car rammings were deliberate.

Many Palestinian activists and rights groups have accused Israel of fostering a “culture of impunity” for Israeli settlers and soldiers committing violent acts against Palestinians.

Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law, with announcements of settlement expansion earlier this year sparking condemnation from the international community.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there were a total of 107 reported settler attacks against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem in 2016.