Israeli settlers shoot and injure three Palestinian farmers in West Bank's Hebron

Three Palestinian farmers were wounded Saturday when Israeli settlers fired at them in the southern occupied West Bank, local media reported.

The settlers, who were armed with rifles, opened fire at the Palestinians while they were tending to their land outside the town of Surif, northwest of Hebron, the Palestinian Authority's WAFA news agency reported citing local witnesses.

The victims, who reportedly all hailed from the same family, were hit in the stomach and leg and rushed to a hospital in nearby Hebron for medical treatment.

مصادر محلية: "3 إصابات برصاص مستوطنين قرب بلدة صُوريف شمال الخليل". pic.twitter.com/Qgp72goBgQ

— Abo Mohamed (@WaleedYaseenAb1) April 23, 2022

Israeli soldiers raided the area after the shooting, firing rubber-coated metal bullets and hurling tear gas at locals.

Israeli soldiers on Friday attacked Palestinian demonstrators with rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas in the West Bank town of Kafr Qaddoum, in the wake of a series of raids on occupied East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque and compound.

Israeli soldiers and settlers have been storming the religious site for over a week, injuring and arresting scores of Palestinians worshipers observing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Israel invaded and has illegally occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank since 1967, where approximately 500,000 settlers reside. The settlements are largely deemed illegal by the international community.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are routinely subjected to violence, harassment and intimidation from illegal settlers and Israeli soldiers.