85-year-old Palestinian farmer hit by Israeli settler car near Bethlehem

Ma'an – An 85-year-old Palestinian farmer from the Al-Khadr village near Bethlehem was struck down by an Israeli settler in his car on Sunday morning, medics said.

Mahmoud Judah Sbeih was heading to tend to his land near the illegal Israel settlement of Efrat on his donkey on the bypass road near Al-Khadr when the car hit him, Palestinian Red Crescent Society medics told Ma'an.

The impact caused Sbeih to land on a pile of rocks, during which he sustained bruises to the right leg, the chest, and abdomen.

One PRCS paramedic said Israeli Magen David Adom ambulance staff contacted them after they arrived at the scene, as they were unable to transfer the injured to an Israeli hospital because he had a West Bank ID card.

Sbeih was transferred to the Al-Yamama Hospital in Al-Khadr where doctors described his injuries as moderate.

Palestinian Authority police have launched an investigation to determine whether the incident was an accident or deliberate, and have informed the Israeli liaison department.