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Qusra siege and evictions
Israeli settlers besieged Palestinian homes in Qusra in the occupied West Bank, cutting off power and water supplies and prompting Israeli military action to remove the settlers from the area.
“Qusra Mayor, Abdel Azim Wadi, told the BBC that his village had been declared a closed military zone”
Qusra Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi told the BBC that his village had been declared a closed military zone and that Israeli forces were using some of the vacated Palestinian houses as barracks.
The BBC reported that of the besieged families' three homes in Qusra, residents of two were told to leave on Thursday, while residents of 11 other houses were also told to leave by the army.
In the same BBC account, Qaher Odeh said more than 20 soldiers had entered his house in the morning, later returning to tell him and his brother they were in a military post and that they needed to leave.
The BBC also said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dismantled two illegal outposts and detained one Israeli while confiscating equipment on the outskirts of the Qusra and Jalud areas near Nablus.
Huckabee calls it terror
The siege drew sharp reactions from the United States, with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee calling the reported settler intimidation in Qusra “a horrific act of terror.”
Huckabee wrote on X, “Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting. No excuse for such thuggish behavior,” as the BBC described his stance.
The BBC also quoted an Israeli spokesman, David Mencer, saying, “The Israeli army is acting against it, and we are investigating it and we will arrest those responsible and we will prosecute them,” after the settlers’ actions were described as “deplorable” and “unacceptable.”
In a separate account, Hürriyet Daily News said Israeli forces moved against the settlers on Aug. 13, dismantled two outposts, and detained one Israeli, while witnesses said settlers remained spread out nearby.
Hürriyet Daily News quoted Aisha Hassan saying, “So far, no one has been able to get food and supplies to us because the area is completely sealed off by the army,” as the blockade entered its fifth day.
What happens next
The BBC described how the situation in Qusra began on Sunday when settlers blocked the road to the Palestinian families' gates and cut off their power and water supplies, and it said the Abu Ridi and Hassan families made appeals for help on social media after those utilities were cut.
“The security forces used tear gas and stun grenades”
It also reported that an attempt by Israeli security forces to dislodge the settlers on Wednesday led to confrontations, with the security forces using tear gas and stun grenades, and with footage showing the confiscation of a canopy used by the settlers.
France 24 reported that Israeli troops failed to remove settlers from blockaded Palestinian homes on Wednesday, with Qusai Abu Rida telling AFP by telephone, “We have received no food and no medicine,” while adding he had only managed to secure electricity thanks to solar panels.
France 24 said the Israeli military condemned the settlers' actions and declared the area a “closed military zone,” and it quoted the military statement that security forces were “working to evacuate the civilians who were staying there”.
Across the accounts, the BBC said the IDF detained one Israeli and confiscated equipment near Qusra and Jalud, while France 24 said the army withdrew and “so far we are still besieged, with the settlers at our doorstep,” leaving the immediate threat to residents unresolved.
