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Qusra siege and evacuation
Israeli settlers besieged three Palestinian homes in the West Bank village of Qusra, cutting off power and water supplies since Sunday, while Israeli forces ordered Palestinians to leave 15 homes as part of an operation to remove settler outposts.
“The IDF on Thursday ordered the evacuation of 15 homes in the northern West Bank village of Qusra”
The IDF ordered the evacuation of 15 homes in Qusra on Thursday, but the evacuation order was rescinded shortly after it began making headlines, and some Palestinians were allowed to return while one of the two besieged families said they were still barred from reaching their house.
In parallel, the Israeli military said troops were operating in Qusra since Thursday morning “to protect the residents and maintain security in the area,” and it said it had “dismantled two illegal outposts” on the outskirts of Qusra and Jalud near Nablus.
The BBC reported that Qusra Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi said the village had been declared a closed military zone and Israeli forces were using some vacated Palestinian houses as barracks.
In the AP account, Qusai Abu Rida said he and his teenage son were moved by Israel’s military to another home but still could not leave the area, which was described as about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Nablus.
Huckabee rebuke and competing accounts
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned the siege as “a horrific act of terror,” saying on X that “the IDF & Israel Police have gone at our request to remove the Israeli terrorists doing this.”
The BBC quoted an Israeli spokesman, David Mencer, saying the settlers’ action was “deplorable” and “unacceptable” and that the government would investigate and arrest those responsible, adding “we will arrest those responsible and we will prosecute them.”
The AP described Huckabee’s remarks as an unusually sharp rebuke from the Trump administration, while also reporting that Israeli troops intervened multiple times but settlers kept returning and that the military said it dismantled “two illegal outposts” and detained one Israeli.
In the Times of Israel account, it remained unclear why the IDF needed to remove Palestinians from their homes to clear settlers from the area, and it said settlers from the outposts who had been laying siege to a pair of homes remained on site.
The BBC also reported that settlers had besieged residents in three homes in Qusra since Sunday, cutting off their power and water supplies, and that residents said those told to leave had since moved into the third house.
What happens next in Qusra
The IDF said troops were still expected to enter uninhabited buildings in Qusra, and it clarified that “The forces were instructed to allow residents of the village to remain in their homes,” even as it said troops would continue operations.
“"The forces were instructed to allow residents of the village to remain in their homes," the IDF said”
The BBC reported that residents said the area was sealed off after they walked toward the lower part of the neighbourhood, and it quoted Qaher Odeh saying more than 20 soldiers entered his house in the morning before telling him and his brother they needed to leave.
In the AP account, Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi said Israeli forces evacuated seven homes in total to take positions in the village, while the military said soldiers had subsequently been instructed to allow families to remain in their homes and not to operate in them, though families had not yet returned.
The KSL News account said the United Nations reported that some 15 Palestinians including two children were “being trapped inside their homes in a state of terror, unable to attend to their basic needs and without access to water or electricity.”
For the besieged families, the stakes were immediate and physical: Qusai Abu Rida said “No one is allowed to enter. Even food and water are prohibited from reaching those besieged,” as roads into Qusra were closed and journalists reported the operation unfolding.
