Timeline: The one-week siege of Qusra by Israeli settlers in the West Bank

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that a one-week siege by Israeli settlers in Qusra, a Palestinian village south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, began on August 9, 2026. According to the article, dozens of settlers surrounded three Palestinian homes in the Ras al-Ain area, cutting off water and electricity and leaving food and other supplies scarce. Around 15 Palestinians from the Abu Rida and Hassan families were said to be inside, including two young children and one child with a dual U.S. citizen parent.

The report says the Israeli military later ordered residents out of two homes and moved them into a third house. It also says the army declared the area a closed military zone, preventing Israeli and foreign activists from reaching the families. Al Jazeera cited reporting from its correspondent in Qusra saying the UN was eventually able to deliver some aid after coordinating with the military. The article also notes that the U.S. ambassador to Israel referred to the besieging settlers as “Israeli terrorists,” while UN human rights officials and the Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the siege.

The piece places the incident in a broader pattern of settler violence and land pressure in the West Bank, where Israel has occupied the territory since 1967 and settlements are widely regarded as illegal under international law. Al Jazeera also says Qusra has faced repeated attacks, including the burning of a mosque the previous month, and that a similar siege in nearby Jalud displaced Palestinian families.