Israeli settlers smash cars and set fires in the West Bank as 4 Palestinians killed in Gaza

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — At least 10 Palestinians were injured Sunday night in attacks in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers, who rampaged through nearby villages after holding a funeral for a settler killed in a car crash a night earlier.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the wounded in Deir al-Hatab included a 45-year-old man shot in the foot and a woman suffering from smoke inhalation. Videos obtained by The Associated Press show cars and homes set ablaze as army flares lit up the sky near the village east of Nablus and next to the Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh.

The arson and assaults in four Nablus-area villages on Sunday came a day after the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported simultaneous attacks in at least six communities overnight — the latest spates of violence in the occupied West Bank.

Sunday night's rampage came after mourners in the settlement of Elon Moreh held a funeral for Yehuda Sherman, an 18-year-old Israeli settler. Authorities said he was killed in a collision with a Palestinian vehicle in an area north of the villages attacked. Police said they were investigating the settlers’ claims that the collision was deliberate. Israel's military did not respond to questions about Sunday night's attacks.

The violence came as Israel’s government presses ahead with new settlements in the occupied West Bank and attacks by settlers — including arsons, shootings and beatings — have intensified as attention shifts to the Iran war.

Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the head of Israel's military last week condemned such attacks and said it was especially unacceptable during wartime for the military “to confront a threatening minority from within.”

WAFA reported Saturday night's attacks in the villages of Silat al Dahr and Fandaqumiya, both near Jenin; in Jalud and Salfit, both south of Nablus; and in the agricultural regions Masafer Yatta and the Jordan Valley. Homes and cars were set ablaze, Palestinians were pepper-sprayed and at least five people were wounded in the overnight assaults, which took place during the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the agency said.

Israel’s military said that late Sunday security forces detained five Israeli civilians and confiscated some weapons as they attempted to restore order. It said security forces came under attack from Israeli civilians and a soldier as well as a number of Palestinian civilians were injured.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported 25 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers this year as of March 15.

Also on Sunday, four Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, hospital authorities said.

One strike hit a vehicle in the central Nuseirat refugee camp and killed three police officers, according to the Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. Ten others were wounded, it said. Another Palestinian was killed in Gaza City, according to Shifa Hospital.

The deaths were the latest fatalities among Palestinians in the coastal enclave since an October ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than 2-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire has still seen almost daily Israeli fire. Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones, killing more than 670 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on Sunday’s strikes but has previously said Israel will respond to violations of the ceasefire threats to its soldiers.

Associated Press writers Samy Magdy contributed from Cairo and Melanie Lidman contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Palestinians mourn over the body of Ahmed Tabasha, a Palestinian policeman killed in an Israeli military strike, during his funeral at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mourners carry the body of Ahmed Hamdan Tabasha, a Palestinian policeman killed in an Israeli military strike, during his funeral at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Tyler Reddick chased down Brad Keselowski and led the final 28 laps Sunday at Darlington Raceway for his fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory this season.

Reddick, who drives for the 23XI Racing team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan, started from the pole position and led 77 laps in his No. 45 Toyota to win by 5.847 seconds over Keselowski.

Ryan Blaney finished third, followed by Carson Hocevar and Austin Cindric.

Keselowski led six times for a race-high 142 laps, but made his final pit stops four laps earlier than Reddick, who made the most of the fresher rubber to make up a seven-second gap on the final run. The NASCAR points leader completed the winning pass on the 266th of 293 laps.

It’s the 12th career victory and first at Darlington for Reddick, who began the year with a Daytona 500 win on the way to becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to win the first three races of a season

Tire management always matters on Darlington’s abrasive surface, and drivers wrestled Sunday with increased wear because of new car regulations.

But despite predictions of chaos from a 12% increase of horsepower and a 25% reduction in downforce (which helps maintain traction through the turns at high speed), drivers mostly kept their cars from careening out of control.

The race featured four yellow flags — including only one for a multicar incident — the fewest caution periods at Darlington since there were three in the March 21, 1999, race that was shortened by rain. The last full-length race at Darlington with fewer than four cautions was the 1998 Southern 500, which had two yellows on Sept. 6, 1998.

Despite predictions of nonstop chaos because of the new car regulations, the first 91 laps unfolded under the green flag without interruption. It marked the fifth consecutive race in which the first stage was completed with the caution flag staying holstered.

The NASCAR Cup Series will race at Martinsville Speedway, the first short track of the 2026 season, on Sunday, March 29. A year ago, Denny Hamlin snapped a 31-race winless streak with his first victory in 10 years at Martinsville, where he has a series-leading six wins.

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The pit crew for Austin Dillon (3) rushes to complete a pitstop during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Darlington, S.C.(AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

A pack of cars compete through Turn 3 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Darlington, S.C.(AP Photo/Matt Kelley)