Fresh troops deployed to West Bank village as settler siege intensifies

In a dramatic escalation of tensions in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military has been compelled to deploy supplementary troops to the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, following its inability to dislodge Israeli settlers who have trapped two Palestinian families in their homes since Sunday, cutting off their water and power and leaving their food stocks critically depleted. The Abu Ridi and Hassan families, who reside on the outskirts of the village, have made desperate appeals for assistance after their water and electricity were severed by the settlers, with video footage from the area showing a dozen Israeli security vehicles—including a bulldozer—responding to the crisis, even as the road to the village was declared a closed military zone and security forces were seen forming a long line along the approach. Local media reports have suggested that a nearby settler outpost was demolished, although the precise trigger for the standoff remains unclear, with Qusay Abu Ridi, who has been confined to his home since Sunday, informing the BBC that the property was attacked again overnight and that a small number of settlers remained in the vicinity, evading military detection.

The property in question, which belongs to his brother—a Palestinian-American businessman—has become the focus of diplomatic attention after the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, confirmed that his embassy had requested Israel’s intervention, describing the settlers involved as “Israeli terrorists” and denouncing their actions as a “horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family” in a post on X. The standoff began when settlers blocked access to the families’ gates and disrupted their essential supplies, and initial attempts at resolution were undermined by an extraordinary incident in which Israeli soldiers reportedly prayed with the settlers—an act for which they were subsequently told they would face disciplinary measures. Having reviewed the situation on Wednesday, Israeli security forces made a concerted attempt to dislodge the settlers, but this led to confrontations with a larger group of settlers and ultimately failed, with Palestinian security camera footage shared with the BBC showing violent clashes between soldiers and border police on one side and a significant crowd of settlers on the other, during which tear gas and stun grenades were deployed by the authorities.

Although security forces appeared to have confiscated a canopy used by the settlers for shelter, their equipment was otherwise left intact, leaving the military seemingly unable to resolve the situation, as the underlying motives of the settlers remain obscure. It is understood that settler groups have historically forced Palestinians from their homes and seized properties, pursuing a stated aim of emptying the area of its Palestinian residents, despite the fact that such settlements are illegal under international law, a status that has not prevented the Israeli government from promoting their rapid expansion in recent years. The mayor of Qusra, Abdel Azim Wadi, told the BBC that residents had observed a “clear and sustained pattern of targeting” the village, noting that last month a newly completed mosque was set on fire with Hebrew graffiti sprayed nearby, an attack that followed an incident in the village of Tal where settler violence triggered an escalation that left six people dead—four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers—one of whom served as a security coordinator for a nearby settlement.

The current siege is the latest in a worrying trend, sources indicate, following an incident in July when settlers surrounded a Palestinian home in the village of Jalud, near Qusra, for over a fortnight, ultimately forcing the owners to flee and enabling settlers to take over the property, where they remain. The broader context of settler violence is starkly illustrated by UN figures, which report that 76 Palestinians, including 18 children, have been killed in the West Bank this year by Israeli forces or settlers, while three Israelis, including one civilian, have died in confrontations with Palestinians and an alleged ramming attack. Since January 2023, 127 Palestinian communities have experienced full or partial displacement, with 47 entirely displaced, affecting more than 6,390 Palestinians, and in 2026 alone, approximately 3,800 Palestinians—nearly half of them children—have been displaced due to settler violence, demolitions, and evictions, according to UN data. Addressing the UN Security Council, Israel’s ambassador, Danny Danon, dismissed the notion that settlements obstruct peace, asserting that they would persist and expand based on his country’s biblical, historical, and legal claims to the land, and concluding with a firm declaration: “We are not going anywhere.”