Israeli soldiers forced Palestinian families from their homes in the West Bank
Villagers remain under a settler siege despite an Israeli commander’s pledge to remove the group, while the army says residents were ordered to stay in their homes.
reede, 14. august 2026 12:12
Israeli troops forced two Palestinian families from besieged homes in Qusra in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, a day after Maj Gen Avi Bluth promised to remove settlers, The Guardian reported.
Soldiers also took over eight other homes early Thursday. Qusra Mayor Abdul Azim Wadi said soldiers told him the buildings were needed for a days-long operation to remove the settlers; soldiers later left six of the homes, while settlers were still roaming the village.
The ordeal began Sunday, when Israeli settlers and soldiers set up a tent blocking the entrance to three homes on the edge of Qusra. Water and electricity were cut, and an ambulance was prevented from reaching a sick toddler. Bluth visited Wednesday and committed to “evacuate” the settlers, but his troops later removed the tent while leaving the settlers, their bedding and other equipment.
Qusai Ridi, one of the besieged Palestinians, said: “The army arrived at around 10am and asked us to evacuate the houses because of a military operation in the area that would last for three days. We refused to leave.” He said: “The army then moved us all into one house.” Ridi was allowed to return home in the afternoon and said he found soldiers had damaged a security camera system and stolen equipment; soldiers were still occupying the home of his neighbour Yousef Hassan.
An Israeli military spokesperson said soldiers had been ordered not to displace Palestinian residents of Qusra. “The soldiers were instructed that the Qusra residents will remain in their homes,” the military said, while the spokesperson declined to comment on why the orders were being violated, according to The Guardian.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described the siege as a “horrific act of terror” carried out by Israeli terrorists. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert called it a “concerted and meticulous attempt at ethnic cleansing” and said: “These are crimes against humanity which are actively supported by the Israeli government and are assisted by the indifference and total lack of action by the IDF and the Israeli police.” The rights group B’Tselem said Israel has forcibly displaced 64 Palestinian communities over the past three years, while 15 other communities have lost residents and more than 4,800 people have been driven from their homes.
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