Israeli soldiers stand in front of a Palestinian house under construction in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where settler violence has intensified over the past month, on Aug. 29, 2026. (Credit: Jaafar Ashtiyeh / AFP)
Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Qusra in the northern occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to the Israeli military and a resident, after nearly three weeks of tensions in the area.
In early August, a group of settlers began blocking access to the village near Nablus and besieging residents, drawing condemnation in Israel and abroad. Israeli forces deployed to the area have continued to operate there.
On Saturday, Youssef Abdul Karim Hassan, a resident of Qusra, told AFP that a handful of villagers were working on a house when they were approached by a small group of settlers.
The settlers then returned with dozens of others and surrounded the Palestinians inside the house before throwing stones at them, Hassan said. AFP footage filmed Saturday in the village showed dozens of Israeli security forces deployed in the area.
The Israeli military, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967, said its soldiers and border police were dispatched ‘‘following reports that Israeli rioters had entered the area and that violent confrontations had taken place, including stone-throwing at Palestinians and other civilians.’’
’’Upon their arrival, security forces identified dozens of rioters who had barricaded themselves in a Palestinian house while Palestinian residents were inside,’’ the statement added. It also referred to ‘‘reports of injured Palestinians’’ without providing further details.
According to the military, security forces removed the settlers from the house and seized vehicles ‘‘suspected of being used to reach the area,’’ which will be used as evidence in a police investigation.
Settler violence has intensified since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, including assaults and acts of harassment and intimidation that rarely result in prosecution.
More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law, alongside about 3 million Palestinians.
According to an AFP count based on data from the Palestinian Health Ministry, soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,103 Palestinians, both fighters and civilians, since Oct. 7.
According to Israeli figures, at least 48 Israelis, including civilians and security forces members, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations during the same period.