Israeli military sends reinforcements to West Bank village after settler siege
The Israeli military has announced it will deploy additional troops to the occupied West Bank after failing to disperse Israeli settlers who have trapped two Palestinian families in their homes for several days. The Abu Ridi and Hassan families, living on the outskirts of Qusra village south of Nablus, have been under siege since Sunday, with their water and electricity cut off and food supplies running low.
Video footage from the village overnight showed a dozen Israeli security vehicles, including a bulldozer, arriving in the area. Later footage, filmed in daylight, showed a long line of Israeli security forces on the road to Qusra, which has been declared a closed military zone. Local media reports indicate that a nearby Israeli settler outpost was demolished during the operation.
Qusay Abu Ridi, who has been trapped inside his home since Sunday, told the BBC that the house had been attacked again overnight. He said a few settlers remained in the area, hiding from the army. His brother, the owner of the property, is a Palestinian-American businessman who has complained to the US embassy.
The incident has drawn attention to the relative impunity with which settlers operate and the challenges facing Israeli forces in curbing rising settler violence. The United States ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said his embassy had asked Israel to remove the settlers, describing them as “Israeli terrorists”. In a post on X, he condemned the act as “horrific” and called the behaviour “thuggish”, adding that there was no excuse for it.
The siege of Qusra is the latest in a series of incidents that have raised concerns among human rights groups and the international community. According to UN reports, settler violence has escalated in recent months, with attacks on Palestinian communities and their property becoming more frequent. Israeli authorities have often struggled to contain such incidents, and critics say a lack of enforcement has emboldened settlers.
The Palestinian families in Qusra have appealed for help, saying their basic supplies are exhausted. The deployment of additional Israeli troops is seen as an attempt to restore order in the area, but residents remain wary. The situation remains tense as the army works to clear the area of settlers and lift the siege.
