Israeli settlers blocked efforts to extinguish fires near a Christian village in the West Bank

The Palestinian Civil Defense confirmed that Israeli settlers obstructed the efforts of Palestinians attempting to extinguish a large fire that broke out near the Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank late Tuesday.

This incident comes amid escalating tensions in the West Bank, where several Western countries announced sanctions this week against settler groups for violent attacks on Palestinians.

Father Bashar Fawadleh, pastor of the Latin Church in Taybeh, said that settlers opened fire and surrounded people who were trying to bring a water tanker to the site to fight the blaze.

Nael al-Azza, a spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Defense, explained that the Israeli army temporarily prevented firefighters from reaching the fire until security coordination procedures were completed.

Fawadleh and al-Azza said that firefighters eventually managed to reach the fire and extinguish it, despite the settlers continuing to try to obstruct them.