In brief
On Sunday a Jewish settler outpost in Qusra surrounded the homes of the Abu Ridi and Hassan families, cutting off water, power and food. The families posted on social media describing a desperate isolation and begging Israel and the UN for relief. Israeli security forces later entered the scene, using tear gas and stun grenades, and eventually allowed a Palestinian ambulance to deliver supplies and evacuate a child. The incident reflects a broader pattern of settler violence and displacement in the West Bank, with recent UN statements noting that the region is "at breaking point".
Israeli settlers have been besieging two Palestinian families in the West Bank village of Qusra since Sunday, cutting off water, power and food supplies.
The Abu Ridi and Hassan families have posted on social media, describing a desperate isolation and pleading for Israeli and United Nations intervention after essential utilities were shut down.
On Wednesday Israeli security forces entered Qusra, using tear gas and stun grenades against a crowd of settlers. They allowed a Palestinian ambulance to reach the families, delivering supplies and taking a child for medical treatment.
The incident comes amid a broader pattern of settler violence: a mosque in the village was recently torched, and several Palestinian homes have been seized or blocked. The United Nations has declared the West Bank to be at a breaking point and highlighted that 76 Palestinians have been killed in the region this year.
Israeli officials have condemned the new outpost as illegal, while Israel’s ambassador to the UN insists that settlements remain on biblical, historic and legal grounds, refusing to relocate them.
