Israeli settlers have surrounded two Palestinian families inside their homes in the occupied West Bank since Sunday, cutting off their water, power, and road access, according to BBC News. The siege is taking place in the village of Qusra, near Nablus.
Palestinian security camera footage shows settlers tearing down a wall outside the Abu Ridi family home on Sunday evening and using the stones to block the road. The blockade left seven people, including two young girls, unable to leave their homes while other Palestinians were unable to reach them.
Posting on Facebook, Qusay Abu Ridi described the situation as critical. "We are living in our own home, on our own land, and we are asking for nothing more than the right to live safely and with dignity," he wrote.
Aysha Hassan told Reuters that the settlers had "tried to break the gate" to the house and "started throwing stones at us, cursing and insulting us." She said her family was "dying of fear, extremely terrified."
After the Palestinian homeowners first reported the situation to the Israeli army, the initial soldiers who arrived were filmed praying with the settlers. On Monday, Israeli settlers blocked journalists from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz from reaching the Palestinian properties. The reporters said soldiers at the scene refused to help them when their car was blocked for two hours and told them the area was a closed military zone, though that order was not enforced on the settlers.
On Tuesday, the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din urgently appealed to the head of the Israeli military's Central Command to protect the besieged residents, remove the settlers, and hold them accountable. Late Tuesday, a Palestinian ambulance was finally allowed to reach the families, delivering food and removing one child for medical treatment.
On Wednesday, Israeli security forces were reported to have withdrawn from the settler outpost in the village, following clashes with a group of extremist settlers. About a dozen settlers were said to remain at the site. The Israel Defense Forces put out a statement condemning the establishment of the new outpost, calling entering and seizing Palestinian homes an "illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable act."
A top UN official told the Security Council in New York on Tuesday that "the West Bank is at breaking point." All settlements are considered illegal under international law. Outposts are established without official Israeli authorization.
