Israeli Settlers Torch and Deface Mosque in Occupied West Bank During Ramadan

Israeli settlers attacked the Abu Bakr Al‑Siddiq (or Abu Bakr As‑Siddiq) mosque near Nablus during Ramadan as worshippers arrived for dawn prayers, leaving the building scorched with broken glass, smashed doors, soot and racist graffiti.

“Israeli settlers vandalised a mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, spray-painting offensive phrases and setting a fire, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Affairs overnight”

1News

Security footage reportedly shows two people approaching with petrol and spray paint before fleeing.

1News

Residents described the incident as a deliberate provocation aimed at Muslims observing Ramadan rather than individuals, and witnesses reported inflammatory graffiti referencing the Prophet Muhammad with slogans like "Revenge" and "Price Tag."

Israeli military and police said they responded and are searching for suspects while "strongly condemn[ing]" harm to religious sites.

The mosque attack is reported against a backdrop of a documented surge in settler attacks across the occupied West Bank.

Israeli military figures cited by several mainstream outlets record 867 settler attacks on Palestinians and security forces in 2025, a 27% rise from 2024.

Al Jazeera

Those figures also show a sharp increase in "serious attacks" from 54 in 2023 to 83 in 2024 and 128 in 2025.

Other organisations tracking settler violence record very different totals, with the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission cited by Middle East Eye logging about 4,723 cases of settler violence in 2025.

UN and Palestinian Authority figures cited in multiple reports say more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023.

These differing tallies show disagreement over scale and which incidents are counted.

Palestinians, rights groups and several media sources say Israeli authorities routinely fail to hold settlers to account and, some allege, enable or protect them.

“Israeli settlers vandalise, torch mosque in occupied West Bank Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Affairs says Israeli settlers defaced and set fire to a mosque in the village of Tell in the occupied West Bank early Monday”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera and Khaborwala report UN and rights-group accusations that Israeli authorities have permitted or enabled settler attacks and pursued policies coercing Palestinian displacement.

Middle East Eye says settlers operate “under the protection of Israeli forces.”

Mainstream outlets (1News, TelegraphHerald, Dunya News, National Herald) typically note that Israeli forces “responded” and “strongly condemn” damage to religious sites while also reporting complaints that settlers are rarely prosecuted.

Critics across these sources link the surge in attacks to policies under far-right national security minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir.

Several sources place the attacks in the context of Israel's war on Gaza and its wider effects.

Middle East Eye explicitly describes the Gaza campaign as "genocidal" and says attacks have escalated since that war began.

Al-Jazeera Net

Al Jazeera and Khaborwala link the rise in West Bank raids, killings and displacement to the Gaza war since October 2023 and cite UN tolls and warnings.

Mainstream outlets avoid the term "genocide" in the extracts provided but report the surge in settler attacks and rising casualty figures.

International bodies and rights groups quoted by some sources have warned of forced displacement and likened certain policies to ethnic cleansing.

Local, national and international responses differ.

“Last week, settlers killed a Palestinian-American man, Nasrallah Abu Siyam”

Dunya News

The Palestinian ministry of religious affairs condemned the mosque attack and noted that 45 mosques were attacked last year.

Khaborwala

International human rights groups have called for urgent protection measures.

Israeli security forces said they were searching for suspects and "strongly condemn" harm to religious institutions.

Some outlets highlight that Christian Palestinian communities face threats and that the killing last week of Palestinian‑American Nasrallah Abu Siyam illustrates a deadly escalation.

Across these reports, Palestinians and rights groups demand accountability and protection.

Sources reporting Israeli statements note searches and formal condemnations but also record accusations that prosecutions are rare.