Ankara: The UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory warned Friday of escalating violence by Israeli occupiers in the West Bank and called for an international protective presence for Palestinian civilians.

According to Anadolu Agency, Francesca Albanese, in a post on the US social media platform X, detailed the alarming rise in violent attacks throughout the West Bank, particularly in the northern areas and Nablus. Albanese alleged that groups of settlers, described as "terrorists in full force," and backed by Israeli soldiers, are inciting violence and calling for bloodshed.

Albanese called on states to deploy a protective presence to safeguard Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank. She also shared an image purportedly circulating on occupiers' social media platforms, which included Hebrew-language text alongside an English translation expressing a desire for vengeance rather than new settlements or promises for more housing units.

Her warning coincided with appeals from rights organizations, including Israeli groups, urging the international community to urgently intervene to halt attacks by Israeli settlers and the army against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. These appeals were made in response to an attack by Israeli occupiers, supported by Israeli forces, on the town of Tell near Nablus, resulting in the deaths of four Palestinians, along with an Israeli settler and a soldier, as reported by both Palestinian and Israeli authorities.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered what they termed a "wide-scale military operation" across Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, following a shooting attack near the illegal Havat Gilad settlement.

According to Anadolu correspondents, Israeli settlers subsequently attacked the Palestinian villages of Sarra and Urif in the Nablus governorate, setting fire to homes and other property. Palestinian residents confronted the settlers by throwing stones.

The violence in the occupied West Bank has seen an upsurge since Israel commenced its military offensive on the Gaza Strip in October 2023. Official Palestinian figures indicate that at least 1,182 Palestinians have been killed, thousands injured, and nearly 24,000 arrested in Israeli military raids and occupier attacks during this period.