Palestinians Say Israeli Settlers Torch 2 Mosques in West Bank

Palestinian officials stated that Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques in the occupied West Bank overnight Sunday, following a week of deadly clashes in the region that claimed six lives. Violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has intensified since the Gaza war commenced with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Abdel Azim Wadi, the mayor of Qusra, a town south of Nablus, informed AFP that settlers torched a mosque under construction in the southern part of the town. "The fire destroyed the mosque's entrance and even damaged its stonework," Wadi said. He also noted that the attackers spray-painted Hebrew graffiti on the mosque's walls, including the word "revenge."

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The fire destroyed the mosque's entrance and even damaged its stonework.

The Israeli military confirmed that troops were dispatched to the outskirts of Qusra after receiving a report of an arson attack on a mosque. "The soldiers searched for suspects who had fled prior to their arrival and identified signs of arson and graffiti at the scene," the military stated, adding that Israeli police would lead the investigation and evidence collection.

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The soldiers searched for suspects who had fled prior to their arrival and identified signs of arson and graffiti at the scene.

In a separate incident, the Palestinian ministry of endowments and religious affairs reported that Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the village of Kour, near Tulkarem, and defaced its walls with racist slogans. The ministry stated that "groups of settlers burned a mosque in the village of Kour in Tulkarem governorate and wrote racist slogans on its walls."

These events follow deadly clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the village of Tell on Friday, which resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and two Israelis. Subsequently, the Israeli military conducted raids in Nablus and nearby towns, arresting dozens of Palestinians in what they described as a "counter-terrorism" operation. On Saturday, Nablus experienced widespread disruption, with long queues forming at gas stations as fuel supplies diminished, according to an AFP journalist.

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groups of settlers burned a mosque in the village of Kour in Tulkarem governorate and wrote racist slogans on its walls.