Full story
Qusra siege deepens
Israeli raids and settler attacks spread across the occupied West Bank as three Palestinian families remained trapped in Qusra, south of Nablus, for the tenth consecutive day while Israeli occupation forces declared the surrounding area a closed military zone and prevented families from entering or leaving.
“Three Palestinian families remain trapped as Israeli settlers, protected by occupation forces, continue their siege of homes in the town of Qusra”
In Ramallah, Israeli forces detained Dr. Dima Mohammed Amin Barakat, an obstetrician and gynecologist, after raiding her home in the Al-Tira neighborhood and searching its contents, while in Nablus occupation forces entered the city and the towns of Beita and Beit Imrin.
Palestinian Red Crescent official Amid Ahmad said ambulance crews treated two Palestinians who were beaten by Israeli soldiers during the raid on Beit Imrin and both were taken to hospital, and Israeli forces also arrested Khalil Salibi after raiding his home in Nablus.
The siege in Qusra was described as a prolonged standoff in the Ras al-Ain area, where settlers surrounded three homes and Palestinian sources said it was an attempt to seize them and establish a new reality on the ground.
In addition to the Qusra siege, Israeli forces stormed an area surrounding the Arab American University in Jenin and raided accommodation housing Palestinians displaced from Jenin refugee camp, while in Tulkarm they raided the village of Al-Jarushiya and converted a Palestinian home into a military barracks before entering the Shuweika suburb north of the city.
Voices clash over blame
The Qusra siege drew sharply different framings as Daily Sabah described “Israeli terrorist settlers” maintaining a tight siege for a 10th day on three Palestinian homes in Qusra, while NPR reported that the United States condemned the siege and that Israeli military troops were deployed to maintain order.
Daily Sabah quoted Qusra Mayor Abdul Azim al-Wadi telling Anadolu that Israeli forces and occupiers continued to surround the three homes, preventing families from entering or leaving because the area had been declared a "closed military zone."
NPR quoted Loui Ridi, a Palestinian American, saying, "I can't sleep," as he watched the siege unfold through home security cameras and then traveled to Qusra to join other family members defending the property.
In the same NPR account, Ridi said, "I can't let the settlers steal my house while I was watching," and described the neighborhood where his home is located as a closed military zone while soldiers interacted with settlers on Monday.
South China Morning Post said Israeli troops failed to evict settlers sitting on rocks for more than a week, and it reported that some first soldiers to arrive were filmed praying with the settlers while the military later vowed disciplinary action.
What’s at stake next
As the siege continued, WAFA reported that Israeli forces detained Palestinian doctor Dima Mohammad Amin Barakat, 54, early Tuesday after raiding her home in the Al-Tireh neighborhood of Ramallah and ransacking its contents, underscoring the broader pattern of raids alongside the Qusra standoff.
“I left my mother, my sister, and my brothers in the village and I cannot visit them”
In Qusra, France 24 described settlers cutting off water and electricity access and blocking all entrances so residents could not enter or leave, while Loui Ridi said, "I left my mother, my sister, and my brothers in the village and I cannot visit them because I must coordinate it with the Israeli Army."
The Associated Press account cited by The Batesville Daily Guard said Ridi was told to go back inside because the area was a closed military zone, and it quoted him saying, "As soon as (Israeli soldiers) leave — like if they leave today — probably on the same day or a couple hours later, the settlers may come back and build the same tent in front of my house."
The same AP-based report said Ridi demanded Israeli forces remove settlers from his property and that he feared settlers could ramp up attacks on his home moments after Israeli soldiers leave, while also noting that the United States condemned the ongoing siege in Qusra, now in its tenth day.
Across the West Bank, the Palestine Chronicle described settlers cutting electricity poles supplying the home of the Sufan family in Burin and damaging a water line supplying the Yarza and Ras al-Ahmar areas east of Tubas, as Israeli calls intensified for demolition of high-rise Palestinian buildings in Qalqiliya.
