UN and Palestinian Authority Condemn Prolonged Israeli Settler Siege in West Bank Village of Qusra

An Israeli military vehicle patrols near settlers in front of Palestinian houses in the village of Qusra on August 13, 2026. The United Nations human rights agency and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates have strongly condemned a days-long Israeli settler siege targeting Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra.

The official statements were issued on Thursday as dozens of Israeli settlers continued to besiege three Palestinian families in the Ras al-Ain area of western Qusra for a fifth consecutive night.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that these criminal actions by settlers, backed or permitted by Israel as the Occupying Power, are rendering life unbearable and aim to forcibly displace families from their homes and land.

The three families, consisting of 15 individuals including two children, have remained confined indoors with severed water and electricity supplies since Sunday. The agency warned that time is running out to prevent their forced displacement.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry denounced the systematic assaults as terroristic, accusing Israel of utilizing settlers as an unchecked instrument to advance forced displacement and annexation across the occupied West Bank. US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also characterized the actions as acts of terror earlier on Thursday.

Reporting from the location, Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim noted that Israeli soldiers initially attempted to move the trapped families out while settlers camped outside. Local residents refused, fearing they would not be permitted to return, and instead grouped together inside a single home.

Qusra Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi told Al Jazeera that the Israeli military has actively protected and assisted the settlers involved in the siege. Additional residents, such as Abdul Kareem Hassan, expressed deep skepticism regarding the military response, describing it as a charade.

Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Wafa reported widespread escalation involving demolition notices, military detentions, and additional settler incursions across towns including Kafr Sur, the Jalazone camp, al-Jiftlik, Qalqilya, Burqa, Ramallah, Jenin, and Tulkarem.