Palestinians in fear as Israeli forces mount pogroms on West Bank mosques

What the report says

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are describing growing fear after a series of attacks on mosques that Al Jazeera says involved Israeli forces and settlers. In the village of Madama near Nablus, worshippers were praying in the evening when tear gas was fired into a mosque, leaving 66-year-old Naim Ahmed Faraj struggling to breathe and later taken home after no ambulance was available, according to his son.

Al Jazeera reports that the Madama incident was followed hours later by a separate attack on the Imad al-Din Zanki mosque in Bazariya, where attackers allegedly poured flammable liquid inside and set part of the building on fire. Residents said neighbours and civil defence crews tried to contain the blaze. The report also says Hebrew graffiti was sprayed on the walls, including threats against Arabs and a message aimed at the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

The article places these incidents in a wider pattern of settler and military violence in the West Bank, which Palestinian officials and witnesses say is intensifying. The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs said at least 13 mosques have been vandalised or burned since the start of the year, while the UN has documented widespread settler attacks and displacement in the territory. Palestinian residents quoted by Al Jazeera said the violence is making everyday movement, including trips to prayer, feel unsafe.