[News] Palestinians in West Bank village remain under Israeli settler siege for sixth day

[Anti-Imperialist News]

middleeasteye.net
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinians-west-bank-village-remain-under-israeli-settler-siege-sixth-day>
Palestinians in West Bank village remain under Israeli settler siege for
sixth day
Fayha Shalash
August 15, 2026
------------------------------
[image: image.png]

Israeli settlers gather in front of Palestinian houses in the village of
Qusra, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on 12 August 2026 (Zain
Jaafar/AFP)  <https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine>

Palestinian <https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine>families in
the occupied <https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/occupation> West Bank
village of Qusra have remained under siege by Israeli
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel> settlers for a sixth day,
despite an Israeli army operation that was supposedly launched to remove
the settlers.

Israeli activists attempting to deliver food to the families on Friday were
stopped by Israeli forces, according to local media reports.

The siege began on Sunday, when a group of settlers surrounded three homes
on a hilltop in Qusra, near Nablus. They erected tents at the entrances in
what residents said appeared to be an attempt to force the families out and
take control of their homes.

Residents said the settlers had cut off water and electricity to some of
the properties, leaving families, including children, trapped inside and
struggling to obtain food and medicine.

When the families called the Israeli army for help, soldiers arrived but,
according to footage
<https://x.com/JDiamond1/status/2087915371533623542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
online,
were seen drinking and praying with the settlers rather than removing them.

After the incident attracted international attention, the Israeli army said
it had launched an operation to remove the settlers and declared the
village a closed military zone.

But the settlers have not been removed, and no arrests have been reported.

Instead, Israeli forces deployed large numbers of troops to the village,
forcing about 20 Palestinian families from their homes and taking over
several properties, which were converted into military positions.

The army said the deployment was intended to prevent clashes between
Palestinian residents and settlers.

Israeli forces later withdrew from some of the homes, allowing families to
return.
Constant attacks

Qusay Abu Rida, who is sheltering in one of the besieged homes, said
settlers had repeatedly targeted the property for months.

The house was built in 2023 and belongs to his brother, who lives in the
United States. During previous attacks, settlers broke through the gate,
damaged security cameras and stole belongings from outside the house.

This situation forced Abu Rida and his family to move into the house four
months ago to protect it. During this time, they have faced numerous forms
of harassment aimed at forcing them to leave.

“They would constantly come into the yard, shouting and vandalising things.
Then, on Sunday, they came and erected a tent directly in front of the
house, cutting off our electricity and water,” he told Middle East Eye.

<https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/settlers-are-control-how-west-bank-being-ethnically-cleansed>

'The settlers are in control': How the West Bank is being ethnically
cleansed

Read More »
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/settlers-are-control-how-west-bank-being-ethnically-cleansed>

Two other homes have also been surrounded by settlers.

According to Abu Rida, the soldiers in the area have made no real attempt
to remove the settlers. Instead, they placed further restrictions on the
besieged families.

“The soldiers forcibly evicted us from my house and my neighbour Yousef’s
house and moved us to his brother Rizq’s house. They cut off all our
essential supplies and prevented us from leaving, even to collect
necessities from our homes,” he said.

On Thursday evening, Israeli forces withdrew from Abu Rida’s home after
causing damage inside.

Security-camera footage documenting the settlers' siege was also reportedly
destroyed by the soldiers, who dismantled the settlers’ tent but remained
in the area.

The tents have since been erected again.

Abu Rida said the treatment of the families echoed what happened to the
al-Tubasi family in nearby Jalud last month, where settlers repeatedly
attacked the family home until its residents were forced to leave.

The settlers then took control of the property, he said, in full view of
Israeli forces.
Homes left damaged

On Thursday morning, more than 1,000 Israeli soldiers entered Qusra,
according to local media reports.

Abdul-Azim Wadi, head of the village council, said the military liaison had
informed local authorities that troops intended to seize 16 homes. In the
end, eight were taken after their residents were ordered out.

Wadi said the army did not explain the seizures, telling residents simply:
“Leave immediately. This house is under our control.”

Some of the seized properties were later vacated by the soldiers, but
residents returned to find extensive damage.

“In one house, they stole $1,500 and destroyed all the furniture,” Wadi
told MEE.

“In another, they stole some of the contents.”

He said each home was entered by dozens of soldiers. In some properties,
troops wrote “We will return” on the walls.
Fears of wider control

The Ras al-Ain area, where the Abu Rida and Hassan family homes are
located, has faced a series of settler attacks since December. Residents
say the attacks are aimed at forcing them from their homes and taking
control of the land.

Hani Odeh, an activist in Qusra, said the situation was “heartbreaking”,
with settlers and soldiers taking turns putting pressure on residents to
leave.

Northern Qusra is now the only part of the village where residents can
expand, he said. The other three areas have been taken over by Israeli
forces and settlers, with Palestinians barred from accessing them.

“Now they even want to control the northern part because it overlooks five
villages south of Nablus, including Jalud and Awarta,” Odeh said.

“It is classified as Area B, and the nearest settlement activity was at
least 15km away.”

He said the encroachment began months ago, when a settler started grazing
livestock in the area. Other settlers later joined him and began attacking
Palestinian homes, apparently seeking to drive residents out.

'The soldiers do not have the authority to remove the settlers; they only
oppress us'

- *Hani Odeh, Qusra-based activist *

During the siege of the three homes, settlers and soldiers prevented
supplies from reaching those trapped inside, Odeh said. Residents even
tried to bring food in an ambulance, but soldiers stopped and turned it
back.

“This whole situation is worrying all the residents of Qusra,” he said. “We
don’t know where the settlers will go next after attacking homes in an area
classified as Area B. The soldiers do not have the authority to remove the
settlers; they only oppress us.”

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and
C as a temporary administrative arrangement that remains in place.

Area A is under full Palestinian Authority control for civil administration
and internal security and includes major Palestinian cities.

Area B is under Palestinian civil administration, while security
responsibilities are shared with Israel. It includes smaller towns and
rural villages.

Despite the accords, Israeli forces have operated inside Areas A and B for
years.

Area C, which accounts for about 60 percent of the West Bank, is under full
Israeli civil and security control.

Most Israeli settlements and military bases have traditionally been located
in Area C, built on Palestinian land. In recent years, however, settlers
have increasingly expanded their attacks and sought to establish a presence
in Area B.
Settler violence

Qusra has a long history of settler attacks, and the latest incidents come
amid a sharp rise in violence across the occupied West Bank.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha
<https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-report-23-july-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com>)
said it had documented more than 1,330 settler attacks resulting in
casualties or property damage across 250 Palestinian communities since the
beginning of 2026, as of 20 July.

The incidents amounted to more than six attacks a day.

At least 18 people have been killed and 880 more wounded during settler
attacks in 2026.

More than 2,300 Palestinians had also been displaced in 2026 as a result of
settler attacks and related access restrictions, according to Ocha.

Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and East
Jerusalem across roughly 300 settlements and outposts. The settlements are
regarded as illegal under international law, according to the International
Court of Justice.
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