Israeli Settlers Lay Siege to Palestinian Families in West Bank

Israeli settlers have besieged three Palestinian families inside their homes in the West Bank, blocking all exits and cutting off water and electricity in what residents describe as a campaign to forcibly seize their land. Security camera footage from Wednesday shows settlers and Israeli soldiers surrounding one of the homes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus.

Residents say Israeli forces did not disperse the crowd of settlers. Aisha Abu Rida, a resident under siege, told Al Jazeera that the blockade began on Sunday when settlers blocked all entrances to her home.

“We are surrounded by settlers, but we are resolute. We will not leave our homes no matter what happens. Even though water and electricity have been cut off, we will hold firm,” Abu Rida said. She stressed: “Even though they keep attacking to expel us, we will remain in our homes, even if it means making sacrifices.”

‘Living in Fear’

Loai Ridi, a Palestinian-American who owns a home in the village, said his brother Qusai Abu Rida and 18-year-old nephew Ahmed are among those trapped. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Toledo, USA, Ridi said his family is relying on a temporary solar power system and well water left from winter after water lines were cut.

“He doesn’t want to leave the house. Because if he leaves, the settlers will take it immediately. The situation is really difficult. He just told me: ‘I only have enough food for two or three more days. If no one can supply us, I don’t know what else to do.’”

According to Ridi, Israeli forces barely intervened when his brother called for help. He alleges that soldiers even knelt in prayer with the settlers at the scene, according to video circulating on social media. “They basically did nothing,” Ridi said.

On Wednesday, more Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene, dismantled settler tents, and clashed with about 50-60 of them before withdrawing. “They can’t evacuate the settlers because they are not determined. They should have put them in vans and taken them away,” Ridi said.

The Israeli military later that day said it would deploy an additional infantry battalion to the area, with instructions from the chief of staff to enhance “operational order and control” and prevent further incidents. A day earlier, the Israeli military acknowledged receiving reports of settlers encroaching on and seizing Palestinian homes and land in the area, calling the actions “illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable,” disrupting residents’ lives. They also said they would discipline security personnel seen in video footage from the scene in previous days.

“My family is living in fear. And we abroad are also living in fear. They are being harassed and attacked by settlers… I can’t do anything,” Ridi added.

‘Ethnic Cleansing’

Qusra lies in Area B of the occupied West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority nominally administers civilian affairs. The village has suffered multiple attacks recently, including the burning of a newly built mosque last month. In the nearby village of Jalud, a two-week siege in July forced two Palestinian families to leave their land before settlers took over the properties.

Violence and land seizures in the West Bank have intensified in recent months, as Jewish settlers are emboldened by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which has accelerated settlement expansion. More than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements considered illegal under international law, alongside about 3 million Palestinians. Israel has occupied the territory since 1967.

According to the settlement watchdog Peace Now, there are currently 146 settlements in the West Bank along with 390 smaller outposts. Breaking the Silence, an Israeli human rights group, wrote on X that while settlers carry out “daily terror against Palestinians… both terror and ethnic cleansing cannot happen without the backing of the Israeli army.”

The United Nations has also warned that the situation in the West Bank has reached a “boiling point.” Speaking to the Security Council on Tuesday, Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said Israeli forces and settlers have killed 76 Palestinians, including 18 children, in the territory since the start of the year.

About 3,800 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, have been displaced from their homes due to settler violence, home demolitions, and forced evictions. The UN recorded more than 1,430 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage across about 260 Palestinian communities in 2026, many occurring in the presence of Israeli forces.

According to Alakbarov, settler attacks, previously concentrated mainly in Area C, where Israel has full civil and security control, are now spreading to Areas A and B. Also this year, Israeli authorities have advanced or approved about 12,360 settlement housing units in the West Bank, including 5,160 in occupied East Jerusalem.

“These are intertwined steps, not isolated developments,” Alakbarov warned, adding that they are reshaping the West Bank, undermining the Palestinian Authority, and promoting “de facto annexation.”