Dozens of masked Israeli settler militants launched an assault on homes near the occupied West Bank village of Qusra on Saturday, marking the first significant attack following a recent siege by settlers that garnered global attention.
During the incident, settlers surrounded a Palestinian residence, pelting it with stones while seven Palestinians were trapped inside, as reported by witnesses who spoke to Reuters.
Saddam Oday, one of the trapped individuals, recounted that the Israeli military deployed tear gas into the house and detained the occupants while releasing him. He noted that the military did not detain any of the settlers and allowed them to depart.
The homeowner, Luay Bayrudi, mentioned that upon the military’s arrival, soldiers handcuffed, blindfolded, and physically assaulted those inside before eventually releasing them.
In response, the Israeli military stated that troops and border police intervened to disperse “rioters” and safeguard the residents within the targeted house.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his initial public statement on Qusra, condemned the violence in the village, attributing it to a “handful of rioters.” He also voiced condemnation for similar incidents in a neighboring village called Jalud.
Residents of the area reported frequent incursions by settlers, with one resident, Loui Ridi, describing ongoing encroachments despite the heavy Israeli military presence.
According to rights groups, the escalating settler presence near Palestinian villages like Qusra is part of a broader strategy to seize more Palestinian land, encroaching on the territory designated for a future Palestinian state.
Violence instigated by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank has been on the rise, with some emboldened by the Israeli government’s settlement expansion efforts, overseen by Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The Israeli military affirmed its commitment to maintain order in the Qusra and Jalud areas to prevent further disturbances. The settlements in the region are deemed illegal by the United Nations and many countries, though Israel disputes this classification, viewing the land as disputed rather than occupied.