°®Âþµº

Israeli settlers attackedÌý a group of PalestinianÌýBedouins nearÌýJericho in the eastern West BankÌýon Sunday, firing gunshots to intimidate them and stealing sheep, according to a NGO.

It was the second consecutive day of attacks on Palestinians, as Israeli settlers stormed the Ras Ein al-Auja area in the north of Jericho, the Al-Baydar Organization for Defending Rights of BedouinsÌýsaid, searching houses and livestock pens before stealing 10 sheep.

"A group of settlers again raided the gathering in Ras Al-Ain, searched houses and livestock pens, and took about 10 sheep," Hassan Mleihat, the organisation official, told , adding that the settlers hadÌý"assaulted residents and fired gunshots".

Israeli settlers had attacked homes and livestock pens in Ein Al-Auja, home to around 1,000 citizens from Bedouin Palestinian families, on Saturday.

Earlier this month, the UN human rights chief warned thatÌýPalestinians in the Israeli-occupiedÌýWest BankÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýEast JerusalemÌýwere suffering a drastically worsening human rights environment, in part due to frequent violent raids by settlers and Israeli soldiers.

"The situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is dramatically deteriorating," Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the opening session of the UN Human Rights Council on 18 June.

Israeli settlers, often armed, routinely assault, harass, and sometimes kill local Palestinians with aÌýhuge increase in settler attacksÌýsince 7 October and whole Palestinian villagesÌýemptied due to the attacks.

The violence has reached such a level that the US, UK, and EU states haveÌýbarred entry to some settler leaders, while Israel has gone ahead with theÌýexpansion of settlementsÌýin the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law.