Two activists from the left-wing Israeli group Looking the Occupation in the Eyes were hospitalized with serious head wounds on Friday after settlers beat them in the Palestinian village of Qusra, near Nablus in the northern West Bank, the group said.

The wounded activists were airlifted to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva in moderate condition, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.

In addition, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medics treated two “foreign solidarity activists” who were severely beaten by settlers. The Red Crescent identified the activists as a 51-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman.

Israeli troops and police officers were later dispatched to Qusra. The IDF said the forces were scanning the area for the assailants, and that an investigation has been launched at the police’s Ariel station.

“This is a grave incident. The IDF and the Israel Police strongly condemn incidents of violence of this kind and will continue to act to maintain the security of the residents and order in the area,” the army added.

President Isaac Herzog also condemned the attack, writing on X that “such violence is life-threatening, crosses a bright red line and stands in complete opposition to the values and laws of the State of Israel and the values of Judaism.”

“This serious incident joins a number of harsh and illegitimate recent incidents that, first and foremost, harm the settlement movement and the reputation of the State of Israel,” he said.

According to Looking the Occupation in the Eyes, some 15-20 armed settlers took part in the attack, which targeted both Israeli activists and local Palestinians.

Footage filmed by one Israeli activist showed at least three masked people wielding clubs pulling up in a small ATV. Threads of tzitzit, a Jewish ritual undergarment, can be seen hanging from under a dark hoodie worn by one of the assailants as they get out of the vehicle. The attackers then swing their clubs at the person filming, who yells in pain and pleads with the assailants to........

© The Times of Israel