Israeli settlers raid Qusra village under 'full protection' of Israeli army, resident recounts

Fouad Hassan, a resident of Qusra, a village south of Nablus, spoke to Middle East Eye about an attack on his village this evening, in which a number of Palestinians were injured and at least eight homes were burned.

The settlers gathered at the entrance to the village, coming from the Esh Kodesh settlement outpost with "full protection from the Israeli army", Hassan said.

"They began attacking homes in the southwestern areas of the village, burning a number of them, then setting fire to residents' vehicles."

A similar attack on the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, took place overnight Friday.

The people of Qusra initially succeeded in confronting the attack and preventing the settlers from penetrating further into their village, Hassan said, but the presence of Israeli soldiers motivated the attacking groups to push forward, seeking to cause "the greatest damage to Palestinian property possible".

According to Hassan, the army began firing live and rubber bullets at Palestinian residents, wounding more than four with varying injuries, while a number of others were injured after settlers threw stones at them.

The Israeli army prevented medical teams from reaching the village, he said, forcing families to receive and treat the wounded in their homes.

"Approximately every two weeks, settlers attack Qusra repeatedly, and the army is their protector and greatest helper. The main entrance to the village, meanwhile, has been closed for five months, preventing its people from freedom of movement."

Qusra was subjected to an attack by settlers around the start of Israel's aggression in Gaza last October, which led to the killing six residents within just two days, Hassan noted.