As violence escalates in the West Bank, one Palestinian villager and one American activist share their stories

Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes talks with Abdulhakim Wadi about the death of his brother and nephew in the West Bank village of Qusra.

His brother and nephew were shot and killed during an attack by Israeli settlers while they were collecting the bodies of four others who died in a previous settler attack. Qusra, a village of several thousand people, lost six residents in just 24 hours.

On the way to the hospital to get the bodies, Wadi says settlers and the Israeli army closed the road. Wadi says the settlers opened fire, killing his brother and nephew. He says he made a report to the police, but over the past year, nothing was done for him.

Wadi is not alone. NPR reports settler attacks and Israeli military raids have killed over 730 Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, citing data from the United Nations and Palestinian health authorities.

We also speak to one American activist Lou, who was attacked in Qusra by settlers while she was standing with a local shepherd to provide a protective presence.

They both describe a culture of impunity in the village and say Israeli authorities fail to protect Palestinians there. Here & Now has viewed videos corroborating Abdulhakim and Lou’s stories.

We reached out to Israel’s army and the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, (COGAT), the police force in the West Bank for Palestinians, with a detailed request about what Abdulhakim and Lou told us. COGAT referred us to Israel’s army, which issued a statement about the incidents:

"During the funerals, an altercation that included rock hurling, started between Israeli civilians and Palestinians near the village of As-Sawiya. IDF and Israel Border Police operated to diffuse the altercation using riot dispersal means and live fire into the air. Later on, a report was received regarding two Palestinians who were killed and a number of others who were injured during the altercation. The Israel Police opened an investigation into the incident and apprehended a number of individuals who were involved in the altercation for questioning."

Wadi disputes the IDF's account of the altercation. Here & Now could not verify that any arrests were made.

Israel’s army also referred further questions on the investigation to Israel’s police. Here & Now is awaiting a response from Israel's police.

Editor's note: We're omitting Lou's last name because she fears additional reprisal after being attacked.

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Gabrielle Healy produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Ahmad Damen.