Dozens of masked Israeli settler militants launched an attack on homes around the occupied West Bank village of Qusra on Saturday, marking the first major incident since a recent siege by settlers in the area sparked international condemnation earlier this month.
The settlers surrounded a Palestinian residence, pelting it with stones while seven Palestinians remained trapped inside. One of those inside, Saddam Oday, recounted that the Israeli military fired tear gas into the home and detained the residents, though he himself was later released. Notably, no settlers were detained, and they were allowed to leave the scene.
The homeowner, Luay Bayrudi, described how the military, upon arrival, handcuffed, blindfolded, and beat those inside before eventually releasing them. The Israeli military stated that troops and border police had intervened to remove “rioters” and to protect the house’s occupants. However, they have yet to clarify why tear gas was used or why the residents were detained and assaulted.
Bayrudi explained that after seeking assistance from the Israeli military, he and six others remained confined inside their home for over an hour as settlers continued to throw stones. He showed visible injuries, including a bandaged arm he said was hurt by a stone during the attack. Oday, who works as a medic, reported that four people suffered tear gas-related injuries, while two others were hurt by the stones.
This violent episode took place just a few hundred yards from three homes that settlers had besieged earlier in the month, an event that drew widespread international criticism and prompted a significant Israeli military deployment. Residents say this deployment has effectively confined them to their homes.
Witness Loui Ridi, a Palestinian-American whose home was among those previously besieged, observed Saturday’s attack from his residence. He noted that settlers had been encroaching on the area nearly every day, despite the heavy presence of Israeli forces.
Human rights organizations warn that the increasing settler activity near Palestinian villages like Qusra is part of a broader campaign to seize more Palestinian land, further shrinking the territory Palestinians hope to include in a future state.
Violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank has escalated recently, with some settlers feeling emboldened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has overseen extensive settlement expansion in the region. Netanyahu has not publicly addressed the situation in Qusra.
The Israeli military affirmed that it would continue operations with border police in Qusra and the nearby village of Jalud to prevent further disturbances and restore order. Meanwhile, United Nations bodies and most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law governing military occupations, a position Israel disputes, viewing the territory as disputed rather than occupied.
