‘Water and salt’: Qusra residents trapped in Israeli settler siege

What the report says

Israeli settlers, backed by military forces, have surrounded several Palestinian homes in the Ras al-Ain area of Qusra, south of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, leaving 15 residents, including two children, cut off for more than a week, according to Al Jazeera. The families have reportedly been denied access to food, water, electricity and outside assistance as the siege continued into its second week. The United Nations said the residents were trapped in their homes and unable to meet basic needs.

Al Jazeera reported that an Israeli army unit intercepted a UNICEF convoy that was trying to deliver aid, while a water tanker was turned away from the area. The day before, settlers allegedly attacked municipal workers and a bulldozer that were trying to repair utility lines. Qusra’s mayor said electricity and water could not be restored to the besieged homes. The article also said the military had turned one home into a barracks, declared the area a closed military zone and prevented solidarity activists and members of Peace Now from entering.

Residents quoted by Al Jazeera said they intended to stay in place despite the conditions. The reporting framed the standoff as part of a wider pattern of settler violence and land pressure in the West Bank, with Palestinian officials and rights advocates warning that the siege could set a precedent for other communities. Al Jazeera also noted that Israeli authorities have not carried out eviction orders against an outpost linked to the attackers on the town’s edge.