Activists attempt to bring aid to besieged Palestinian homes in Qusra
Residents of Qusra, a West Bank village, have been trapped since Sunday after Israeli settlers blocked the road leading to their homes and cut off power and water. Activists carrying food and water marched to the site, left supplies outside two houses, and were stopped from delivering aid directly by Israeli soldiers, according to the households. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) denied that soldiers prevented the transfer of aid, claiming that the area was a "closed military zone" and that only aid was moved outside.
Following an earlier operation that dispersed settlers from the site, a group of settlers returned Friday to set up a tent near the homes. The IDF removed the tent, saying the soldiers were escorting locals while removing the encampment. Qusra Mayor Abdul Azim Wadi reported that Israeli forces had used vacated houses as barracks.
The incident reflects the broader pattern of settler violence in the West Bank: since January 2023, 127 Palestinian communities have been partially or fully displaced and nearly 6,400 Palestinians have been affected, with children constituting almost half of those displaced in 2026.
The IDF said Israel faces a “pressing imperative” to address the situation, while Israeli authorities have announced investigations into settler actions deemed "deplorable" and "unacceptable”.
