Israeli settlers surround two Palestinian families in West Bank village of Qusra
Around a dozen settlers have remained at an outpost in Qusra, West Bank, after Israeli security forces withdrew, leaving two Palestinian families under siege with limited water, power and food supplies.
Two Palestinian families in the village of Qusra, near Nablus, have been confined to their homes since Sunday after settlers erected an outpost and blocked access to the road. The families, identified as the Abu Ridi and Hassan households, reported that water and electricity had been cut and food stocks were dwindling.
Israeli security forces withdrew from the site on Wednesday following clashes with the settlers, leaving about a dozen settlers still present. Video from Palestinian security cameras showed settlers dismantling a wall outside the Abu Ridi home and using the debris to block the road, preventing residents, including two young girls, from leaving.
"We are living in our own home, on our own land, and we are asking for nothing more than the right to live safely and with dignity," one resident said.
Journalists from Haaretz were blocked from reaching the properties, and soldiers at the scene did not intervene, describing the area as a closed military zone that was not enforced on the settlers. The Israeli human-rights organization Yesh Din appealed to the head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command to protect the families, evacuate the outpost and hold settlers accountable.
Late on Tuesday a Palestinian ambulance was finally permitted to deliver food and transport a child for medical care. The IDF issued a statement condemning the establishment of the outpost as "illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable" and announced that disciplinary action would be taken against security personnel documented at the site.
Major General Avi Bluth, head of the Central Command, visited the village on Wednesday, expressed "grave concern" and oversaw the removal of the settlers’ tent. Border police used tear gas and stun grenades during confrontations with a large crowd of settlers.
Local mayor Abdel Azim Wadi said residents have observed a pattern of targeting Qusra, noting a recent arson attack on a newly built mosque. The incident follows a series of settler-related escalations in the area, including a July siege of a home in nearby Jalud. The United Nations reports that 76 Palestinians, including 18 children, have been killed in the West Bank this year, alongside three Israelis.