Palestinians in the northern West Bank say Israeli settlers kidnapped and attacked a young Palestinian man early Saturday.

Locals in the village of Osarin south of Nablus told Ma’an that settlers approached the village in two vehicles around midnight and abducted 22-year-old Tariq Ziad Zuhdi Adeli.

The settlers stepped out of a car and “sprayed gas” at Adeli before pulling him into one of the vehicles, witness Abas Adeli said.

He said they took the 22-year-old to a remote area in the outskirts of the village and attacked him with a hatchet, leaving him bleeding.

After the attackers left, Adeli managed to call his father, who arrived with a group of young men from the village and brought the man to Rafedia hospital in Nablus.

Medics said Adeli sustained several wounds and cuts, especially in his leg.

The reported attack comes amid rising tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem, where Palestinians say right-wing Israelis kidnapped and killed 16-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir, whose body was found early Wednesday.

The murder is thought to be a revenge attack in response to the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teens, who were buried the day before.

Israeli police say the circumstances behind Abu Khdeir’s killing remain unclear.

(Ma’an – www.maannews.net)