Hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed the village of Kifl Haris, in the northern occupied West Bank district of Salfit, to perform Jewish religious rituals under armed security by Israeli forces predawn today.

Locals told Ma’an that more than 30 Israeli military vehicles and troops raided the village and closed off its entrances. Israeli forces banned residents from moving around the streets and forcefully closed shops.

Sources added that several large buses entered the village carrying more than 800 Israeli settlers from the entrance to the centre of the village.

Israeli settlers reportedly harassed residents by continuously shouting anti-Arab slogans for three hours.

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Israeli settlers were also seen assaulting an elderly man who attempted to open the old mosque to perform Fajr (dawn) prayers while the settlers were about to perform their religious rituals at Islamic sites in Kifl Haris.

The village of Kifl Haris is known for its four historic Islamic shrines, it contains the graves of a number religious figures. Jewish worshippers believe to be the them to be of biblical figures Joshua, Caleb and Nun.

Residents of the area, however, consider these shrines to be the graves of the prophet Dhul-Kifl, the Sufi religious leader Dhul-Nun, and another shrine built by 12-century Sultan Saladin.

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