Key facts
- Israeli settlers established three new outposts on Palestinian-owned land in the occupied West Bank.
- Settlers set fire to two mosques, cars, and farmland in the West Bank.
- Graffiti with 'revenge' slogans was found at the sites of settler attacks.
- The violence follows a weekend that killed four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers.
- Israeli authorities arrested over 70 Palestinians over the weekend.
Israeli settlers established three new outposts on Palestinian-owned land in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, adding to escalating settler violence, land seizures, and settlement expansion in the region. This follows a weekend of deadly violence that claimed the lives of four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers. Settlers also set fire to two mosques, damaged cars and farmland, and spray-painted 'revenge' slogans in the West Bank.
Israeli forces conducted a major raid in Rafidia and settlers attacked mosques in Tulkarem and Nablus. The mosques in Qusra and Kour villages sustained significant damage, with security footage showing an explosive detonated at one entrance. The Israeli military condemned the attacks on religious sites and announced plans to demolish the homes of two Palestinian militants suspected of killing soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that troops were seizing weapons and making arrests. Pope Francis appealed for peace, urging both sides to reject military actions and unilateral decisions that violate the respect and status quo of holy places. The towns surrounding Nablus are known as a volatile area where armed settlers frequently engage in theft, arson, and mosque defacement.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 87 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year, with 21 attributed to Israeli settlers. Three Israelis, including the two soldiers killed on Friday, have died in attacks by Palestinian militants. Over 700,000 Israeli settlers reside in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.