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Qusra siege and evacuations
Israeli settlers besieged three Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, cutting off power and water supplies and refusing to allow anyone to enter or leave.
“"were instructed that the Qusra residents will remain in their homes."”
On Thursday, Israeli troops took up positions inside Palestinian homes in Qusra, and the mayor, Abed Al Athem Wadi, said the soldiers were holding positions in three Qusra homes by Thursday evening.
The IDF said soldiers were deployed in Qusra since Thursday morning to protect residents and maintain security, and that they were instructed that "the Qusra residents will remain in their homes."
The BBC reported that Palestinians were told to leave homes during an Israeli military operation to remove Israeli settlers, and that Qusra Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi said his village had been declared a closed military zone.
In the BBC account, an Israeli spokesman told the outlet the settlers' action was "deplorable" and "unacceptable," while the Israeli military said it had "dismantled two illegal outposts."
Huckabee rebuke and competing accounts
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee issued a sharp rebuke of the siege, calling it a "horrific act of terror" and posting that "Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting."
The AP described Huckabee’s Thursday use of the word “terrorists” as an unusually sharp rebuke from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, and said mounting criticism could pose a challenge for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Times of Israel reported that Huckabee said the US Embassy intervened with Israeli authorities over the harassment of a Palestinian family in Qusra, rejecting claims that US officials had failed to act.
In the Times of Israel account, the IDF rescinded an evacuation order shortly after it began making headlines, and the outlet said the IDF later clarified that troops were instructed to allow residents to remain in their homes.
The BBC added that the IDF said it would not operate inside the Palestinian home that had been subject to the settler's siege, while Reuters reported that soldiers removed a security camera installed in the Qusra home of Loui Ridi.
What comes next for residents
Reuters said the soldiers informed families that operations in Qusra may last until Sunday, while the IDF said soldiers were instructed to keep residents in their homes and would not operate inside the Palestinian family's home near the evacuated and dismantled tent.
“"It is terrifying, frustration, fear of my family for their lives,"”
The BBC reported that after around 10 hours some families were allowed to return to their homes but found them upturned, and one man told the outlet soldiers had thrown all the food out the fridge and stolen $1,500 in cash.
In the Reuters account, Loui Ridi said he felt helpless and described "It is terrifying, frustration, fear of my family for their lives," as he watched developments on security cameras.
The NPR account said Huckabee condemned the siege as a "horrific act of terror" and quoted the homeowner Lou Ridi saying his 48-year-old brother and nephew had been unable to leave the house and did not have access to food or water for several days.
The Reuters report also said the UN stated that some 15 Palestinians including two children were trapped inside their homes with no water or electricity, underscoring the immediate stakes for families in Qusra.
