Israeli settlers attack Palestinian children with pepper spray in East Jerusalem

Two Palestinian children on Saturday were subject to an assault Israeli settlers, who attacked them with pepper spray near Jaffa Gate in occupied East Jerusalem.

The children were attacked while they were seated inside their father's car, witnessed said.

The Jewish settlers immediately ran away after the attack and the children were hospitalised.

The Israeli army has occupied the West Bank, a Palestinian territory, since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Nearly 500,000 Israeli settlers live in more than 200 illegal settlements and dozens of unauthorised outposts scattered across the Palestinian territories.

Israeli forces and settlers carry out regular attacks on Palestinian civilians and their property, throwing stones, destroying olive and fruit trees, and even attacking children.

Often, Israel forces turn a blind eye, doing nothing to prevent Jewish attacks on local Palestinians and further enabling such assaults to continue.

In April, the United Nations warned that violence, including assaults and property destruction, by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank has recently increased substantially.

During the first three months of 2021, more than 210 incidents of violence by settlers were recorded, including the death of one Palestinian, it said.

The violence has been mainly motivated by ideology and intended to "intimidate and terrorise Palestinians", and prevent them from accessing their land while pushing others to move.