A Palestinian man has been killed and others seriously injured in separate settler attacks in the occupied West Bank.

Locals say that in the past day, several new outposts – clusters of settler homes unauthorised by the government – have been set up in areas where the Palestinian Authority is meant to have full control.

Settler violence has continued to surge in the West Bank since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran at the end of February.

Mohammad al-Malhi was the seventh Palestinian killed during this period. His family reported that he was shot in the head by settlers who had constructed an outpost on their land near Bethlehem.

Malhi's family claimed that Israeli soldiers had come to dismantle the outpost, but after the army departed, settlers returned to rebuild it, which is when the shooting ensued.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated there had been a clash between settlers and Palestinians, during which an Israeli civilian opened fire. They reported that one person was killed and three others were injured.

Video circulating on social media depicted another attack that left a 75-year-old man bruised and covered in blood. Residents stated that he was assaulted in his home in Tayasir, near Tubas, after settlers raided the village and shot at young men who confronted them.

This spike in settler violence echoes events seen during the Gaza war, which began following Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023. It has been accompanied by accelerated settlement growth, endorsed by the Israeli government.

Last year saw a record for the most extensive expansion of settlements and planning approvals since the UN began monitoring such developments. All settlements are viewed as illegal under international law, with outposts being established without government authorization.

In recent days, multiple new outposts have emerged, including in Palestinian Authority areas where Israeli law prohibits its citizens' access. While some have been removed by Israeli forces, the government has retroactively legalized 30 outposts across the West Bank this week.

Since occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has built around 160 settlements housing approximately 700,000 Jews, placing them alongside an estimated 3.3 million Palestinians who seek this land for a future state.