A Palestinian father and his son today sustained serious injuries in a settlers attack in Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron, according to a local source.

Coordinator of the Popular Anti-Wall and Settlement Committees in Southern Hebron, Rateb Jbour, said that a group of armed settlers used sticks and stones to attack a number of Palestinians in Maghayer al-Abeed, northeast of Yatta, wounding a 55-year-old father and his 23-year-old son in the head and hand.

The casualties were rushed to a hospital in Hebron city for urgent treatment, where medics described their wounds as serious.

Meanwhile, the Alliance for Human Rights, a group of activists allied to document human rights abuses in Palestine, said that Israeli forces rounded up two Palestinians, including a lawyer, from al-Rakeez village of Masafer Yatta.

The detainees had joined a group of activists who helped remove two tents set up by settlers from Avigal colonial outpost as a means to take over Palestinian land in the area to expand the colony.

Masafer Yatta is a collection of almost 19 hamlets which rely heavily on animal husbandry as the main source of livelihood.

Located in Area C of the West Bank, under full Israeli administrative and military control, the area has been subjected to repeated Israeli violations by settlers and soldiers targeting their main source of living – livestock.

It has been designated as a closed Israeli military zone for training since 1980s and accordingly referred to as Firing Zone 918.

Israeli violations against the area include demolition of animal barns, homes and residential structures. Issuance of construction permits by Israel to local Palestinians in the area is non-existent.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency