Extremist Israeli settlers launch arson attacks on West Bank mosques

Extremist Israeli settlers carried out two separate arson attacks on mosques in the occupied West Bank overnight into Sunday, intensifying the ongoing deadly wave of settler violence that has already claimed several Palestinian lives across the territory.

The settlers targeted a mosque in the village of Kur, south of Tulkarem, and another under construction in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus.

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, settlers entered Kur and set fire to the village mosque, causing partial damage to the building and its interior. They also spray-painted racist graffiti on the walls before fleeing. Local residents managed to extinguish the blaze before it could spread further.

The assault in Kur followed closely after settlers set fire to the Al-Rahma Mosque, still under construction in Qusra. Abdel Azim Wadi, mayor of Qusra, reported that the fire destroyed wooden materials and construction equipment at the site.

“The fire destroyed the mosque’s entrance and even damaged its stonework,” Wadi stated.

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs strongly condemned the attacks as a “heinous crime.”

The ministry noted that settlers have targeted 45 mosques across the occupied West Bank in 2025, operating under the protection of the Israeli military.

In the nearby town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, Palestinian security sources reported that settlers also set fire to a Palestinian home in the Al-Dubbat neighborhood, causing partial damage before firefighters extinguished the blaze. The attackers spray-painted racial graffiti calling for revenge against Arabs.

These attacks occur amid sharply escalating tensions and rising Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank. On Friday, four Palestinians were killed during clashes in the town of Tell, west of Nablus. Israeli authorities separately claimed that two Israelis were killed in a shooting in the same area.

Israeli occupation forces responded by imposing restrictions around Nablus and nearby towns, conducting arrest raids, and announcing preparations for a broader military operation in the West Bank.

Since October 2023, the occupied West Bank has witnessed a sharp surge in assaults by the Israeli army and settlers. A July 6 report by the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission documented 3,488 settler attacks in the first half of the year alone.

These included raids on Palestinian villages, arson of homes, shootings, land seizures, and the establishment of settlement outposts, resulting in the deaths of 17 Palestinians.

Approximately 750,000 settlers now occupy 141 unauthorized settlements and 224 outposts throughout the occupied West Bank, including around 250,000 in occupied East al-Quds. Official Palestinian statistics show that such attacks have led to the deaths of 1,200 Palestinians, nearly 13,000 injuries, and the abduction of approximately 24,000 Palestinians.

Palestinians warn that the escalating assaults form part of deliberate Israeli efforts to pave the way for the formal annexation of the West Bank, directly undermining the prospects for an independent Palestinian state as envisioned in relevant UN resolutions.

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