West Bank, ALRAY - Israeli colonial settlers have stolen 19 Palestinian-owned sheep near the occupied West Bank city of Salfit.

Adnan ad-Dik, a local citizen, said that a group of Israeli colonial settlers from the illegal settlement of "Peduel", built on vast swathes of occupied Palestinian territory, stole 19 sheep from his brother's sheep pen in the west of Kafr ad-Dik town, west of Salfit.

Israeli colonial settlers have stepped up their attacks against local Palestinian citizens of the area, particularly shepherds, under the protection of the Israeli occupation army.

Nearly 700,000 Israeli colonial settlers now live in more than 250 illegal settlements and outposts across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem in violation of international law.