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Qusra siege and shortages
Israeli settlers set up a makeshift tent near Palestinian homes in the West Bank village of Qusra, just south of Nablus, blocking essential supplies from entering and leaving families trapped for days.
““We have received no food and no medicine,””
Qusai Abu Rida, a Palestinian trapped inside one of the houses, told AFP by telephone, “We have received no food and no medicine,” adding that he had only managed to secure electricity thanks to solar panels.
The Israeli military condemned the settlers’ actions, declared the area a “closed military zone”, removed their tent on Wednesday morning, and later announced it would send an additional infantry battalion and keep more soldiers on standby.
By mid-afternoon, an AFP photographer reported that the military had left and the tent had been removed, but that the settlers were still there, with Abu Rida saying, “The army has withdrawn, and so far we are still besieged, with the settlers at our doorstep.”
US anger and Israeli denials
The incident in Qusra drew sharp international criticism after U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described those who established the outpost as “Israeli terrorists” and called on the state to “remove them” from the site.
Ynet reported that the White House and U.S. officials were furious and demanded explanations, with administration officials telling Israeli officials they were shocked by the incident and asking what was behind it.
In a separate account, the Israeli military said that during its visit to Qusra on Wednesday, commanders expressed “grave concern” about acts carried out by Israeli civilians against the Palestinian family and issued instructions to take several measures to move forward.
Yet Qusra council head Abd al-Azim Wadi told ynet that the outpost had still not been evacuated and that large military forces were present at the site, while the Civil Administration said the extremists would likely be removed later Thursday.
Order, reinforcement, and stakes
As the siege continued, the Israeli military announced it would send an additional infantry battalion and said the chief of the general staff “directed that efforts to strengthen order and operational control in the area continue.”
““directed that efforts to strengthen order and operational control in the area continue””
The AFP report also said the chief of staff issued an order to reinforce the forces with the aim of “restoring order, ensuring security in the area, and bringing those responsible for the disturbances to justice.”
The broader context in the same reporting placed the Qusra siege within a longer pattern of violence in the West Bank, noting that Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and that, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data, Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,097 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
Israeli figures cited alongside that tally said at least 48 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations during the same period, underscoring the stakes described by the reports as the standoff persisted in Qusra.
