Israeli settlers set fire to mosques in two West Bank villages on Wednesday, causing damage and scrawling hostile slogans. The incidents occurred amid a surge in settler violence against Palestinian communities.
These attacks escalate tensions in the West Bank, contributing to a cycle of violence and humanitarian concern amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Israeli settlers set fire to mosques in two villages in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, with damage observed at one site including scorched walls and graffiti. The incidents occurred during a period of increased attacks against Palestinian communities by settlers in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in 2023.
Osama Abdullah, head of the village council in Jiljiliya, north of Ramallah, stated that settlers set fire to the ablution room and caused damage to the village's main mosque, scrawling hostile slogans on the outer walls. Graffiti found included phrases such as 'vengeance' and 'Hi, from the Hilltop Youth'.
Journalists observed that the ceiling, walls, and floors of the mosque were blackened by smoke and flames. The Hilltop Youth is identified as a group of Israeli settlers known for acts of violence against Palestinians. Abdullah noted that the settlers attempted to burn the mosque between 2am and 3am, but due to a locked door, they instead set fire to a lower-level ablution room. Palestinian civil defence crews and villagers extinguished the blaze.
The United Nations has warned that Israeli settler violence in the West Bank has reached unprecedented levels, with an average of six attacks daily resulting in casualties or damage.