Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in Beita in the occupied West Bank to protest against the nearby illegal Israeli outpost.

More than 140 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli troops in the flash village of Beita in the occupied West Bank, medics said, during protests against an illegal Israeli settlement outpost.

The IDF said two soldiers were also “slightly injured” in the violence on Friday.

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in Beita, in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank, to protest against the nearby illegal Eviatar outpost, an AFP correspondent said.

The region has seen regular protests against the illegal expansion of settlements on Palestinian land.

The IDF said that “in the last few hours a riot has broken out in the area of ​​the Givat Eviatar outpost, south of Nablus.”

“Hundreds of Palestinians threw stones at the IDF (army) troops, who responded with means of dispersing the riots,” he said in a statement, adding that the two “slightly injured” soldiers had been taken to hospital.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 146 Palestinians were injured in the clashes, including nine from live ammunition, 34 from rubber bullets and 87 from tear gas.

Jewish settlers set up the illegal Eviatar outpost in early May, building rudimentary concrete houses and cabins within weeks.

The construction came in defiance of international and Israeli law and sparked violent protests from Palestinians who insisted it was being built on their land.

But following an agreement reached with the new government of Nationalist Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the settlers left the outpost on July 2, while the structures they had built were to remain in the care of the army.

Israel’s defense ministry said it would study the area to assess whether it could, under Israeli law, be declared state land.

If that were to happen, then Israel could allow the construction of a religious school in Eviatar, with residences for its staff and students.

About 475,000 Jewish settlers now live in the occupied West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.