Israeli settlers set fire to homes in West Bank village of Jalud

Settlers in the occupied West Bank village of Jalud set fire to two homes owned by the Tubadi (Tubasi) family on Tuesday, hours after the family attempted to move back under a court decision that had kept them displaced for nearly two months. Local sources said the arson caused extensive damage and forced the family to evacuate again.

Villagers tried to confront the attackers before Israeli security forces arrived. The military later reported that more than 100 settlers blocked roads, set tires ablaze and threw stones at security personnel, preventing the coordinated return of the family.

"Soldiers and Israel Border Police forces operated in the area of Jalud to disperse Israeli rioters and protect the residents of the area, as the return of a Palestinian family to their home in the area had been coordinated," the Israeli military said.

"Due to the violence, the mission to return the family to their home was not completed," the statement added.

The Tubadi family, who had left Jalud in July after repeated harassment, said the houses were occupied by settlers who prevented them from accessing the property and set the structures on fire during the night, rendering them uninhabitable.

The incident occurred amid a broader increase in settler-related attacks in the West Bank. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded more than 1,300 such incidents between January and late July, the highest rate in two decades.

In separate incidents on the same day, settlers broke into a home in Qaryut, south of Nablus, assaulting an elderly woman, and attacked properties in al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, while Israeli army forces conducted a raid and detained a young man.

Julien Lerisson, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation for Israel and the occupied territories, called for an end to the frequent and severe violence and urged authorities to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law.

The United Nations and other international bodies have repeatedly described Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land as illegal under international law.