Israeli settlers storm Palestinian home in West Bank village of Qusra

Attack on the under-construction home

Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian house in the northern West Bank village of Qusra on Saturday, 29 August 2026. The incident began when a small group of settlers approached local residents who were carrying out construction work on the building. According to resident Youssef Abdul Karim Hassan, the initial group left and returned with dozens of additional settlers who surrounded the building and began throwing stones. Seven Palestinians were trapped inside during the assault, which lasted over an hour after the occupants contacted security authorities for assistance.

Resident Loui Ridi, a Palestinian-American whose neighbouring home had also faced settler pressure earlier in the month, observed the confrontation as it unfolded.

They spotted the residents working on their house, which is still under construction and they started throwing rocks.

Military deployment and contrasting accounts

Israeli military units and border police forces arrived in Qusra following reports of violent confrontations and stone-throwing. The army stated that its personnel acted to separate the groups, remove rioters from the building, and protect the residents inside. Security forces seized several vehicles used by the settlers and transferred them to police investigators as evidence. Israeli authorities reported no settler arrests following the operation.

Accounts from Palestinian residents inside the house contradicted parts of the official account. Saddam Oday, a medic trapped in the building, stated that soldiers fired tear gas into the premises and temporarily detained residents while permitting settlers to leave. The homeowner, Luay Bayrudi, stated that arriving troops handcuffed, blindfolded, and beat the occupants before releasing them. Injuries were recorded on site: four people suffered from tear gas inhalation, two sustained stone impact wounds including Bayrudi's arm, several experienced pepper spray exposure, and at least one Palestinian woman was transferred to a hospital.

Ongoing siege and village conditions

The attack follows roughly three weeks of sustained tension around Qusra and the neighbouring village of Jalud, located south of Nablus. Village head Abdul Asim al-Wadi reported that residents have remained largely confined to their homes, resulting in shortages of food and essential medicines. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that additional settlers arrived during Saturday's incident and set fire to surrounding Palestinian agricultural fields. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee recently described the settlers active in Qusra as Israeli terrorists.

Wider West Bank casualties and findings

Settler incursions have increased across the occupied territory following the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023. Data compiled by the Palestinian Authority indicates that Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 1,103 Palestinians in the West Bank since that date. Over the same timeframe, at least 48 Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks and military operations, according to figures tracked by AFP.

A United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry report published in June stated that settler violence against Palestinians operates with backing from sympathetic government ministers and protection from Israeli military personnel and state authorities.