Settlers Besiege Palestinian Families in West Bank as Supplies Run Low

Israeli settlers have been besieging two Palestinian families in their homes in the occupied West Bank since Sunday, with the families reporting that their supplies have run out and rights groups urging the authorities to intervene. The incident has drawn international attention and raised fresh concerns about settler violence in the region.

On Wednesday, Israeli security forces reportedly withdrew from a Jewish settler outpost in the village of Qusra, near Nablus, following clashes with a crowd of settlers. About a dozen settlers are said to remain at the site, according to local sources.

After the Palestinian homeowners made their initial report to the Israeli army, the first soldiers who arrived at the scene were filmed praying with the settlers. This has raised questions about the impartiality of security forces in the territory.

The Abu Ridi and Hassan families have been posting on social media appealing for help after their water and power supplies were cut off and their food stocks ran low. In a Facebook post, Qusay Abu Ridi described the situation as “critical, especially as we are completely isolated.” He wrote: “We are living in our own home, on our own land, and we are asking for nothing more than the right to live safely and with dignity.”

The latest developments come as a top UN official told the Security Council in New York on Tuesday that “the West Bank is at breaking point.” The official highlighted the escalating violence and the expansion of settlements, which are illegal under international law. Outposts such as the one in Qusra are set up without official Israeli authorisation.

Palestinian security camera footage shows settlers tearing down a wall outside the Abu Ridi family's home on Sunday evening and using the stones to block the road. This left seven people, including two young girls, unable to leave their homes while other Palestinians could not reach them. The families live in what is known as Area B, a part of the West Bank under Palestinian administrative control and Israeli security control.

On Monday, Israeli settlers blocked journalists from the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper from reaching the Palestinian properties. The reporters said Israeli soldiers at the scene refused to help them when their car was blocked for two hours. They were told the area was a closed military zone, but the order was not enforced on the settlers.

A day later, the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din urgently appealed to the head of the Israeli military's Central Command to protect the besieged residents, evacuate the settlers' outpost, and hold the settlers accountable. Late on Tuesday, a Palestinian ambulance was finally allowed to reach the families, delivering food and taking one child away for medical treatment.

At about the same time, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement condemning the establishment of the new outpost. It said that entering and seizing Palestinian homes was “illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable activity.” When the head of its Central Command, Maj Gen Avi Bluth, and other senior officers arrived at the scene early on Wednesday, they are said to have met residents and voiced their “grave concern.”

Afterwards, Palestinian security camera video shared with the BBC showed confrontations between Israeli soldiers and border police and a large crowd of settlers. The security forces used tear gas and stun grenades. In other footage, the Israeli forces appeared to confiscate the canopy under which the settlers were sheltering, while leaving other equipment.

“Border Police forces evacuated the tent and are working to evacuate the civilians who were staying there. The incident is still ongoing,” the IDF stated. It said that it was decided that “disciplinary action would be taken against the security personnel involved, who were documented at the site several days ago.”

The Palestinian village mayor, Abdel Azim Wadi, told the BBC that local residents had seen “a clear and sustained pattern of targeting Qusra.” Last month, a newly completed mosque was set on fire, with graffiti in Hebrew sprayed nearby. That attack was one of a series following an incident in the Palestinian village of Tal, where Israeli settlers had clashed with residents. The ongoing situation in Qusra underscores the fragility of security and the urgent need for accountability in the West Bank.