IDF Says Troops Fired Only in Air in Umm Safa Clash

After Palestinian reports from Umm Safa north of Ramallah, the IDF said troops fired only in the air while dispersing the gathering. Earlier accounts, citing the Palestinian news agency, said local council head Marwan Sabbah alleged settlers entered the village outskirts, stole four sheep and that Palestinians were wounded by rubber-coated bullets when forces arrived. The IDF statement says forces used riot-dispersal measures and a few rounds into the air, not direct rubber-bullet fire. Israel should investigate theft and vigilantism firmly while also correcting incomplete claims about soldiers' conduct.