Key facts
- Israeli settlers established an outpost in front of Palestinian homes in Qusra, West Bank, besieging two families.
- The settlers blocked access to the homes, leading to dwindling supplies for the residents.
- Israeli troops clashed with the settlers while attempting to disperse them.
- The military eventually withdrew after failing to clear the settlers, who then tried to break into a Palestinian home.
- The IDF condemned the settler actions as illegal and unacceptable.
Israeli troops clashed with Jewish settlers on Wednesday in the West Bank village of Qusra, attempting to disperse them from an outpost they had established directly in front of Palestinian homes. The settlers had been besieging two Palestinian families in their homes since Sunday, blocking access and leading to dwindling supplies. Witnesses reported that troops deployed tear gas against the settlers during the confrontation. After the army removed the cover of one of the outpost's tents and withdrew, the settlers reportedly tried to break the gate of one of the Palestinian homes.
The military described the outpost activity as "illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable" and stated that border police forces were working to evacuate the civilians. The incident comes amid a sharp increase in settler land seizures and attacks on Palestinians, with the current Israeli government spearheading settlement expansion.
A Palestinian woman from one of the besieged homes described being "extremely terrified" and stated that settlers had been throwing stones and verbally abusing them. The West Bank, captured by Israel in 1967, is home to approximately three million Palestinians and 500,000 settlers living in numerous settlements and outposts, according to the Israeli settlement watchdog group Peace Now.