Doha: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on tuesday described the violence committed by Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank as 'acts of terrorism,' particularly following the killing of a civilian by settler gunfire near Hebron governorate.

According to Qatar News Agency, a spokesperson for the ministry stated that France strongly condemns this killing, as well as all deliberate acts of violence committed by extremist settlers against Palestinians, which are increasingly widespread across the West Bank. The spokesperson stressed that 'these acts of violence are acts of terrorism.' This marks the first time French diplomacy explicitly used such a designation to describe practices by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in West Bank.

The statement highlighted that settlers have killed more than 30 people since the beginning of 2022. It emphasized the need for Israeli authorities to take responsibility, immediately prosecute the perpetrators of these ongoing acts of violence-committed with total impunity-and protect Palestinian civilians.

The Palestinian Authority announced on Monday the killing of an anti-occupation activist by settlers' gunfire in the village of Umm al-Kheir, near Hebron in southern occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Ministry of Education later confirmed that the martyr was a schoolteacher from Masafer Yatta, an area declared a closed military zone by Israeli occupation.