Israeli settlers carried out an arson attack on a vehicle scrapyard in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. The blaze destroyed more than 100 vehicles in the Palestinian village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya.
The incident took place in the al-Qanater neighbourhood south of Nablus. The fire raged for five hours before emergency crews brought it under control.
Flames spread beyond the site. Vehicles belonging to local residents and customers at a nearby repair workshop also suffered extensive damage, according to the Palestine News Agency.
The village head stated that the financial cost of the fire exceeded 1 million shekels, equivalent to roughly $315,000. Dozens of olive trees, storage facilities, and streetlight poles burned during the incident.
The destruction of the poles cut off the electricity supply to the local area. Around 10 Israeli military vehicles entered the village while the emergency response was underway.
Palestinian Civil Defense crews deployed from the nearby towns of Salfit, Aqraba, Burin, Sinjil, and Abwein to battle the flames, joined by hundreds of local residents.
Several residents suffered smoke inhalation while assisting at the scene. Palestine Red Crescent Society teams from Salfit provided immediate first aid to the injured individuals.
Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya is closely surrounded by the Israeli settlements of Eli and Maele Levona. Across the occupied territory, there are 279 settlements, including 14 in East Jerusalem, housing roughly 737,000 settlers alongside a Palestinian population of about 3.4 million.
