Israeli forces raided Qusra, south of Nablus, on Thursday and imposed a curfew as illegal settlers continued besieging Palestinian families living there for a fourth day.
Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that a large military force entered the occupied West Bank town, deploying infantry troops and dozens of military vehicles.
The forces ordered shops to close and imposed a curfew, tightening restrictions across streets already tense amid rising illegal settler violence.
The crisis began after settlers erected a tent and temporary structures among Palestinian homes in Qusra’s Ras al-Ain area.
Since Sunday, illegal settlers have surrounded three Palestinian homes, preventing residents from entering or leaving and blocking visitors from reaching the families.
‘Act of terror’
Residents said the blockade has cut the families off from food and other essential supplies, leaving them effectively isolated inside their homes.
One of the besieged homes belongs to a US citizen, prompting criticism and intervention from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee — normally a staunch supporter of illegal settlements.
Huckabee said the settlers’ siege was a “horrific act of terror” aimed at intimidating and harassing the family, and condemned the settlers’ actions.
"Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting," Huckabee wrote on X.
"No excuse for such thuggish behaviour," he stated.
He said Israeli authorities intervened after a US request, although witnesses reported that settlers remained in the area after soldiers removed their tent on Wednesday.
The Israeli army later announced plans to deploy another battalion as it sought to restore order amid continuing settler violence around the town.
Huckabee, an evangelical Christian pastor, has previously supported illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and opposed Palestinian statehood.
Since 1967, Israel has expanded its occupation of Palestinian territories, leaving millions of people vulnerable regarding their basic needs, despite UN resolutions and calls for withdrawal.
Israeli settler violence against Palestinians has increased sharply since October 2023 when Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.
More than 500,000 Israelis live in occupied West Bank settlements, which are considered illegal under international law, alongside about three million Palestinians.
