Israeli occupation troops attacked protest rallies held south of Nablus in the West Bank to condemn Zionist settlement activities, which are illegal under international law, injuring at least 44 Palestinians.

The clashes occurred on Friday, when Israeli soldiers attacked anti-settlement rallies, mainly by young Palestinians, in Beita town and the village of Beit Dajan, Palestine's official Wafa news agency reported.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, at least 44 Palestinians sustained injuries after being attacked by Israeli forces.

It added that 41 suffered respiratory problems due to inhalation of tear gas, one received wounds from rubber-coated bullets, and two of the protesters were injured by falling while the occupation forces were chasing the young demonstrators.

The town of Beita and the village of Beit Dajan have been witnessing peaceful anti-settlement rallies on a daily basis for months to protest against the planned expansion of an Israeli settlement.

More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.

After former US president Donald Trump took office in December 2016, Israel stepped up its settlement expansion in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which pronounces settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds “a flagrant violation under international law.” All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law as they are built on occupied land.

The UN Security Council has condemned Israel's settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.

Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital