In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers are accused of setting fire to two mosques, vandalising cars and burning farmland in villages near Qusra and Kour, Palestinian officials say, amid rising tensions after a clash near the village of Tal that left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead.
The mayor of Qusra reported that a mosque under construction was torched, while residents described graffiti with the word “revenge” spray‑painted on its walls. In Kour, settlers allegedly did the same to a mosque, and a spokesperson said the attacks followed the deadly clash on Friday.
Israeli troops were dispatched to Qusra and police are gathering evidence, but the Israel Defence Forces maintained that they were fighting “nationalist crime”. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged “powerful action”, including potential demolitions of homes belonging to Palestinians suspected of involvement.
The violence is part of a broader trend: settler attacks have surged in recent months, drawing international condemnation but showing little reversal. According to the United Nations, 1,114 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank—most by the IDF—with at least 35 deaths involving settler attacks, while Israeli forces have killed 41 Israelis in Palestinian or security operations since the Gaza war began.
The escalation reflects the Israeli occupation’s expansion of settlements, housing 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the overall tension between security measures and Palestinian civilian life.
