Israeli settlers have besieged three Palestinian families inside their homes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, cutting off water, electricity, and essential supplies. Security camera footage from Wednesday, August 13th, 2026, shows settlers surrounding one of the houses.

Residents described the siege as an attempt to steal their land. Loai Ridi, an American-Palestinian homeowner in the village, said his brother Qusai Abu Rida and 18-year-old nephew Ahmed were among those trapped.

Earlier that day, additional Israeli forces arrived, dismantled the settlers' tent, and clashed with about 50 to 60 settlers before withdrawing. Ridi criticized the Israeli forces for not being firm enough, stating, “They were unable to evacuate the settlers because they were not firm with them. They should have picked them up in vans and taken them away.”

Trapped residents also said Israeli soldiers had failed to disperse the settlers despite intervening earlier.

Later on August 13th, the Israeli military announced it would deploy an additional infantry battalion to the area, with its chief of general staff ordering continued efforts "to strengthen order and operational control" and prevent further incidents.

The United Nations’ Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, reported on August 11th that the UN has documented more than 1,430 settler attacks resulting in casualties or property damage across roughly 260 Palestinian communities in 2026, many occurring in the presence of Israeli forces.

Additional Context

  • A Pentagon review noted that US strikes in Yemen killed 153 civilians in 2025.
  • Media groups have sued former US President Donald Trump over paid access to public social media posts.
  • A leading expert on US far-right groups was charged with fraud.

These events highlight ongoing regional and international tensions.

Sources