An Israeli settler on Saturday evening deliberately hit a Palestinian child with his car in Freidis village, east of Bethlehem.

Local sources said that Mohammed Askar, 5, was transferred to a hospital in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) after he suffered moderate injuries in the attack.

Israeli settlers' deliberate hit-and-run attacks targeting Palestinian citizens, especially children, have been stepped up recently in the occupied West Bank.

There are 427 illegal settler outposts in the West Bank. They cover about 46% of its area, and are inhabited by over 700,000 Israelis who carry out daily attacks on the Palestinians.