Italian activists evacuated from Qusra as US ambassador brands settlers 'terrorists'

The siege at Qusra

Since Sunday 9 August, Israeli settlers have besieged Palestinian homes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus in the West Bank, setting up encampments outside three houses on the outskirts of the village of approximately 5,000 residents. The settlers blocked an access road and cut off water and electricity to the trapped families. At least one of the besieged homes belongs to Qusay Abu Ridi, a Palestinian with US citizenship, whose brother has denounced the siege from the United States. Five Italian activists (four women and one man, aged between 20 and 40) had been inside the houses with the Palestinian families since the first day, in a gesture of solidarity. The Italian foreign ministry, through its Crisis Unit and in coordination with the Jerusalem consulate and Tel Aviv embassy, has been monitoring the situation.

Evacuation of the Italians

On the morning of 14 August, Israeli border police evacuated the five Italians from the besieged building. They were subsequently moved, on IDF instruction, to a Palestinian home in Qusra not under siege. Informed sources told AGI the Italians left the house without problems, without any recourse to force or violence. An activist identified as Magda (a pseudonym used for security reasons) told ANSA that two small children had been evacuated in previous days by an ambulance that also delivered food and water. Four men and two women remained in the building as of 14 August.

Settlers return, Israeli activists blocked

Magda reported that early on 14 August a small group of Jewish extremists returned to the courtyard of the house and re-erected the tent that had been dismantled by Israeli security forces in previous days. Four soldiers then arrived, spoke with the settlers, and gave them time to leave. Additional military personnel later removed the tent. Around 50 Israeli activists arrived carrying a Palestinian flag and food, but soldiers turned them away because the area had been declared a military zone. The Italians were told they could return Saturday morning at 10, but another military official informed them the area would remain a military zone until March 2027. When the activists asked how the family would obtain supplies, the military responded that the family also had the option to leave.

US and Israeli responses

The involvement of a US citizen prompted the White House to contact the diplomatic mission in Jerusalem to request intervention. On Thursday 13 August, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee signed a document calling the settlers "Israeli terrorists" and describing their actions as "disgusting" and "horrible acts of terror," stating there were "no justifications for those who behave in such a criminal manner." Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to prepare a plan to transfer civil police functions in the West Bank to the Israeli police, after the military was criticized for its handling of the siege.

The role of the army is to fight Palestinian terrorism and not to chase young extremists on the hills.

Trapped residents speak out

Abd al-Karim Hassan, trapped with his family by the extremists who arrived at Qusra, denounced the inaction of Israeli authorities.

The Jews put a knife to my throat. My wife and children are prisoners in the house. Every day I go to the Israeli police, but I'm told not to approach and not to touch them.

The IDF initially sent battalions to dismantle the illegal outposts but has since withdrawn part of its troops. The village of Qusra lies in Area A, which under the Oslo Accords falls under Palestinian civil administration. According to il Giornale, the 1,430 attacks carried out by Jewish extremists in 2026 place the Qusra siege within a broader pattern of settler violence in the West Bank. Israeli soldiers were preparing to evacuate 15 Palestinian homes in the village, according to the same report.