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Israeli Settlers Allegedly Try to Set Fire to West Bank Mosque
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Conflict & Security

Israeli Settlers Allegedly Try to Set Fire to West Bank Mosque

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Palestinian officials said a group of Israeli settlers tried to set fire to part of the Nur al Din Zanki Mosque in Bazariya, near Nablus.
  • Residents reported a small explosion, fire damage around a window and threatening Hebrew graffiti; Israel’s military did not immediately comment.
  • Palestinian officials linked the incident to a broader pattern of attacks on religious sites, while Israeli police said they arrested eight people over suspected arson and assaults in southern Hebron.

A small explosion and fire marked one window of the Nur al Din Zanki Mosque in Bazariya, near Nablus, after a group of Israeli settlers allegedly attacked the building, according to Palestine’s Ministry of Religious Affairs.

A group of settlers tried to set fire to part of the Nur al Din Zanki Mosque.

— Palestinian Ministry of Religious AffairsThe ministry described the reported attack on the mosque near Nablus.

Resident Majed Nasr told AFP that the attackers arrived unexpectedly at about 2:45 a.m. and fled after the fire began inside the mosque. Residents managed to stop the flames before they reached the main upper part of the building. Photographs and video from Bazariya showed burn marks around a window and threatening Hebrew inscriptions on the exterior walls.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. The Palestinian ministry said Israeli soldiers or settlers had desecrated 13 mosques since the start of 2026. The Palestinian presidency described the incident as part of what it called a continuing and escalating religious war against religious sites, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

The settlers attacked it unexpectedly at about 2:45 a.m. A small explosion caused a fire inside the mosque.

— Majed NasrA nearby resident described the reported attack and its timing.

The presidency warned that what it called systematic attacks had crossed all red lines and could provoke a religious conflict with serious consequences for the region and the world. The statement came amid a broader account of settler violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the territory, among about three million Palestinians, and the article described those settlements as illegal under international law.

We managed to stop the fire before the situation worsened and the flames reached the main upper part of the building.

— Majed NasrHe explained how residents contained the fire.

On Tuesday, Israeli police said they had detained eight people aged 16 to 20 who were suspected of arson and attacks in the southern Hebron area. The arrests and the mosque incident were reported as separate developments.

Systematic attacks have crossed all red lines and risk provoking a religious conflict with serious consequences for the region and the world.

— Palestinian presidencyThe presidency warned about the reported attacks on religious sites.
About this summary

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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