West Bank30 August, 20263 min read
Israeli Settlers Storm Qusra, Surround Home South of Nablus With Owner Inside
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Settlers surrounded a Palestinian home in Qusra, south of Nablus, with forces present Home seized while its owner was inside, amid other attacks and land set on fire
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Qusra siege and home raid
Israeli settlers, backed by Israeli forces, stormed the village of Qusra south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on Saturday and surrounded a Palestinian home while its owner was inside, with CNN reporting Louay Adli said settlers threw stones at the house and that the Israeli army “watched and did nothing” before firing tear gas.
CNN reported Adli estimated the crowd swelled to “60 or 70 settlers,” and said he and six others inside ran to the roof “because we could not breathe inside. We were suffocating and the army had us trapped with the settlers.”
Al Jazeera said at least four Palestinians were trapped inside the home on Saturday as settlers set fire to nearby land, and it described residents saying dozens of settlers barricaded themselves inside a house while Palestinians were inside.
Al Jazeera also reported that since August 9 settlers have besieged three Palestinian homes in the Ras al-Ain area, cutting access to water, electricity and other essential supplies, and that the Israeli army later arrested six Palestinians before releasing them a while later.
In parallel, the Sada News Agency said the siege on families in Qusra had entered its fourth week and that in the Ras Ain area west of the village families faced difficulties securing basic needs of food and water amid movement restrictions and assaults targeting homes, land, and properties.
Condemnations and competing accounts
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned what he called “criminal acts of violence” by settlers in Qusra and Jalud, and France 24 quoted him saying, “I strongly condemn the criminal acts of violence committed in the villages of Qusra and Jalud by a handful of rioters who are violating the law.”
CNN reported that the Israeli military said it used what it described as “proportionate force” against a Palestinian it accused of resisting and throwing stones, while also acknowledging dozens of rioters were inside the Palestinian home before “dispersed using various means.”
CNN said as of Sunday afternoon authorities had not announced any arrests, and it quoted an Israeli police spokesman saying the investigation is ongoing as police work with authorities to gather additional evidence.
Al Jazeera reported Loui Abu Ridi told it, “We’re not safe here. We fear for our own safety,” and said residents coordinated with the mayor of Qusra to get food and supplies, which “can take three to four days to get approval.”
The Sada News Agency framed the episode as an escalation by settler gangs supported by Israeli occupation forces, and it said hundreds of settlers stormed Awarta southeast of Nablus under protection of occupation forces while the Deir Sharaf and Awarta checkpoints were closed.
Humanitarian impact and what’s next
The Sada News Agency said the siege on families in Qusra continued for the 22nd consecutive day, with strict movement restrictions and obstruction of food and water supplies, alongside rejection of requests to coordinate family visits. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian territories, as cited by Sada News Agency, reported on Sunday that it has documented more than 1540 attacks by settlers since the beginning of 2026, resulting in the injury of about 1040 Palestinians, and it said 80 attacks were recorded during the second and third weeks of August. Al Jazeera reported that Qusra residents described the feeling of being trapped as “a nightmare … 21 days, we can’t even sleep,” and said residents had to keep watching security cameras because “those settlers can attack any time.”
France 24, citing AFP, said Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 1,103 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, and it added that Israeli figures show at least 48 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations during the same period. In the same reporting stream, Al Jazeera said Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone and restricted Palestinians from entering and leaving by placing a gate at the main entrance of Qusra itself, while Palestinians travelling into the village were forced to take alternative routes often blocked by Israeli forces.