“Israeli” Army, Settlers Tighten 11-Day Siege on Palestinian Families in Qusra
By Staff, Agencies
Three Palestinian families in the Jabal Ras al-Ain area of Qusra in the occupied West Bank have remained under siege for 11 consecutive days, in what local residents describe as part of a broader campaign to seize Palestinian land and reshape the area’s demographic and territorial reality.
Since August 9, “Israeli” settlers, operating under the protection of the “Israeli” army, have surrounded three homes housing around 13 Palestinians south of Nablus, restricting their movement and preventing essential supplies, including food, medicine and water, from reaching them.
Qusra Mayor Abdul Azim Al-Wadi told Anadolu that the town has faced repeated attacks since 2011, including the burning of mosques, homes and property and the killing of Palestinian residents.
He recalled the burning of Al-Nurayn Mosque in 2011 and Al-Rahma Mosque in recent months, as well as the burning of 47 homes in 2024.
Wadi said Palestinian residents had repeatedly resisted attempts by settlers to expand onto Qusra’s land in 2012, 2013 and 2014, but had paid a heavy price for defending their communities.
He linked the current siege in Jabal Ras Al-Ain to the strategic location of the area. The mountain rises roughly 930 meters above sea level and lies within an Area B zone under the Oslo Accords.
“Standing on this mountain, we can see the Mediterranean Sea and Jordan,” Wadi said.
The families of Yousef Abdul Salam, Rizq Abdul Salam and Qusay Abu Rida have remained trapped since August 9, unable to freely enter or leave their homes or receive basic necessities.
The “Israeli” army subsequently launched a military operation in Qusra that was initially expected to end Sunday morning but was extended until Tuesday evening, according to the mayor.
Residents had hoped the army’s arrival would result in the occupiers being removed and the siege lifted. Instead, Wadi said, soldiers seized one of the homes and converted it into a “military barracks.”
“If the army wanted to, it could arrest or expel the occupiers, but it is a partner in the operation,” he said.
Wadi warned that the situation extends far beyond the three besieged families, saying Qusra’s land and the future of the Palestinian presence in the area are increasingly under threat.
He described the developments as part of a broader expansion of illegal settlement activity across the occupied West Bank, particularly through so-called “pastoral settlements.”
According to Wadi, tents and prefabricated structures are increasingly appearing across rural Palestinian land, enabling settlers to expand their territorial control.
He described the phenomenon by saying that a “pastoral settlement today extends farther than the gun.”
He cited areas including Sinjil, Al-Mughayyir, Turmus Ayya, Aqraba, Qaryut, Jalud and Burin, saying attacks and settlement activity have evolved into a systematic effort to extend control over agricultural and grazing land.
From near the besieged homes, Palestinian resident Abdul Hakim al-Wadi described the families’ conditions.
“Three homes are besieged by Zionist occupiers, under the watch of occupation soldiers,” he told Anadolu.
He said the “Israeli” army had converted Yousef Hassan’s home into a military barracks and moved the affected families into his brother Rizq’s home.
He also said the army ordered a factory located below the homes, along the road connecting Qusra with Talfit, to close until further notice after designating the area a “military zone.”
The factory employs 15 workers whose incomes support 10 families.
The developments come amid a wider escalation of attacks by occupiers across the occupied West Bank under the protection of the “Israeli” army.
The United Nations has documented more than 1,430 attacks targeting approximately 260 Palestinian communities since the beginning of 2026. The attacks, demolitions and evictions have contributed to the displacement of around 3,800 Palestinians, nearly half of them children.
UN reports have documented killings and injuries, property destruction, home demolitions, vehicle burnings, damage to agricultural land and restrictions preventing Palestinian farmers from reaching their fields.
In Qusra, residents say the attacks increasingly coincide with the establishment and expansion of illegal settlement outposts, making the struggle increasingly centered on control of Palestinian land.
The “Israeli” human rights organization B’Tselem reported that a new illegal settlement outpost was established near Qusra, Jalud and Talfit in January 2026 and that attacks against Palestinians in the area subsequently increased.
The “Israeli” entity has occupied the West Bank, including East Al-Quds [“Jerusalem”], since 1967, while the international community considers settlements built on occupied Palestinian territory illegal under international law.
