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Arson attack on mosque
Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked and torched the Hajja Hamida (Hamida) mosque near Deir Istiya in the occupied West Bank.
“Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked the Hajja Hamida Mosque in northwest Salfit — burning Qurans, setting fire to the entrance and spray‑painting anti‑Muslim graffiti — an act condemned by Palestinian officials and some Israeli military commanders amid a wider, sharp rise in settler violence across the West Bank.”
They burned copies of the Qur'an, poured flammable liquid at the entrance, set a small fire, and spray-painted racist and threatening Hebrew graffiti on the walls.
Local residents and civil defence extinguished the blaze and reported damage was limited to one wall.
AFP photos and multiple reports showed smoke-blackened walls and burnt Qur'ans left inside the building.
The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf called the desecration a 'heinous crime.'
Responses to settler attack
Palestinian leaders and rights groups condemned the attack and blamed Israeli settlers and government incitement, and UN officials and some foreign governments also denounced the incident.
Israeli military leaders publicly rebuked settler perpetrators, with army chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other commanders vowing to stop such attacks and bring perpetrators to justice.
The IDF said it would investigate on the ground before handing cases to police.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not commented, while some Israeli left-wing figures and rights activists questioned whether security forces will follow through on prosecutions.
Surge in settler attacks
A mosque was set on fire amid a sharp surge in settler attacks across the occupied West Bank since the October 2023 Gaza war.
“U.N. agencies and rights groups say Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank has surged, with October the worst month since 2006 and the U.N. estimating over 3,500 Palestinians displaced since 2023 by settler attacks or access restrictions.”
U.N. agencies and monitoring groups say October was the worst month for such attacks since monitoring began in 2006.
UN OCHA recorded its highest monthly tally, and U.N. and Palestinian figures cite thousands displaced and hundreds of incidents of arson, vandalism and assaults.
Analysts link the uptick to expanding settler outposts and a far-right Israeli government that critics accuse of enabling or tolerating attacks.
Settlements now house hundreds of thousands of Israelis in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Settler violence accountability
Accountability for settler attacks remains limited: Israeli rights groups and long-running research find the vast majority of police probes into settler violence are closed without indictment and few lead to convictions.
Yesh Din's figures show about 94% of probes from 2005-2024 ended without indictment and roughly 3% led to convictions.
Victims and activists say arrests are sometimes made but suspects are quickly released, and critics argue that settlements' political backing and the involvement of settlers who serve in the army complicate prosecutions.
The IDF said units responded and handed the case to police, but rights groups and local Palestinian authorities continue to accuse security forces of inaction or siding with settlers.
Diplomatic and legal fallout
The episode has broader diplomatic and legal fallout.
“The White House, via Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warned the violence could spill over and undermine the recent Gaza ceasefire.”
U.N. officials and foreign governments condemned the mosque arson, and some warned the West Bank attacks could inflame the Gaza front and the wider region.
Separately, South Africa has filed a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, a claim reported by regional outlets and relevant to how some sources characterise Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
Reporting lines differ: mainstream Western outlets emphasize security and military responses and casualty tallies.
Alternative and regional outlets frame the mosque attack within a narrative of systematic settler expansion and alleged state enablement.
Several sources explicitly report international accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza without adopting or endorsing the claim themselves.