Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi has condemned a reported escalation in attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

Mardawi pointed to recent demolitions in the Jordan Valley and the burning of a factory in northern Ramallah as examples of an expanding campaign of intimidation and dispossession targeting Palestinian communities.

“These attacks reflect the scale of organized terrorism carried out by unruly settler militias under the protection of the Israeli occupation government,” Mardawi said.

He argued that the attacks were part of efforts to force Palestinians from their lands through violence, arson, killings and intimidation, while stressing that such actions would not break Palestinian resistance or compel Palestinians to abandon their homes.

Mardawi placed full responsibility for the consequences of  the “dangerous escalation” on the Israeli occupation authorities, accusing them of enabling settler violence by failing to hold perpetrators accountable.

He also called on the international community to end its silence and move beyond what he characterized as weak statements and ineffective responses that allow settler attacks to continue.

According to Mardawi, continued international inaction risks further emboldening Israeli settlers and deepening the climate of impunity surrounding attacks on Palestinian civilians and property.

The Hamas official further urged Palestinians across towns and villages in the occupied West Bank to remain steadfast, strengthen community protection measures and confront attacks by settlers and Israeli forces.

He called for increased Palestinian resistance against the ongoing campaign aimed at expanding Israeli control over Palestinian land and undermining the presence of Palestinians in their communities.

The latest remarks come amid continuing tensions in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian communities have repeatedly reported settler attacks, property destruction, land seizures and displacement pressures. (ILKHA)