Qusra Remains Under Settler Siege One Month After Israeli Army Declared Closed Military Zone

One month after Israeli settlers began a siege on the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, settlers remain in the area despite a closed military zone, while the Israeli army has restricted Palestinian residents' movement and damaged homes.

Ongoing Siege in Qusra

Qusra has seen settler attacks for over a month, which have occurred despite Israeli forces present in the village. The lives of residents of the occupied West Bank village of Qusra remain upended one month after Israeli settlers began a siege on the area. Despite the enactment of a closed military zone in the village, south of Nablus, that was meant to remove the settlers and their outposts, settlers continue to roam the area. The Israeli army's actions have also heavily restricted the movement of the village's besieged Palestinian residents. Yousef Hassan, whose house was the first to come under settler siege on 9 August, told The New Arab that the area remains unsafe, saying that “unfortunately, after a month of siege, the settlers are still present”. "They [the settlers] have not been removed or even arrested, and the army is still there but has done nothing about them," he added. [1]

Impact on Residents and Families

Hassan's family, which includes two small children, were forcibly displaced from their homes when the Israeli army occupied their home following the announced closed military zone in the village. "The soldiers left the house 14 days ago, and I returned home and found the house completely destroyed inside," Hassan said, adding that furniture had been broken, clothes were thrown in the rubbish, and some belongings had been stolen. Though the family has regained access to the property, the situation in Qusra remains tense and is yet to return to normality. "We are dealing with these circumstances with all the strength we have, despite the Israeli measures and the army's restrictions on us, which prevent us from moving around." As a result, his eldest child is unable to start school, with the new academic term having begun across the occupied West Bank this month. “We, along with the residents of the village, our neighbours and friends, all feel uncomfortable and distressed by what is happening," Hassan said. “Everyone hopes that this situation will be brought to an end as soon as possible. We want things to return to normal.” The desire to return to normality was echoed by Hassan’s sister Aisha, who said their lives had been "turned completely upside down". She told The New Arab that the army's presence has become permanent and, alongside the continued settler presence, has affected the movements of Qusra's residents. “All aspects of our lives have come to a standstill. My siblings and I have stopped working,” she said, adding, “As for residents of the town, they feel helpless because there is nothing they can do except pray.” Even if the settlers are permanently removed from the area and the army leaves, Aisha said that it will take time for the residents of Qusra to feel safe again. “It is true that I am optimistic that life will return to normal, but sometimes, when I see the current circumstances, I feel that things could get worse because of the presence of the settlers," she told The New Arab, adding "At other times, I tell myself that perhaps our lives will return to normal." "That is what we all hope for.” [1]

Israeli soldiers enforce movement restrictions on Palestinian residents in the West Bank village of Qusra. — Source: middleeasteye

Limited Accountability for Settlers

Only a handful of settlers have been arrested by the Israeli army since the start of the siege, despite the illegality of outposts under Israeli law, continued harassment and attacks which, at the end of August, saw settlers storm a building under construction. [1]

Broader West Bank Context

The situation in Qusra is emblematic of escalating settler violence across the occupied West Bank since October 2023, the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza. The violence has been branded "settler terrorism", and global outrage has forced allies of Israel to take action on the matter. On Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, in speech in which he condemned the "ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists". Rohan Talbot, Medical Aid for Palestinian's Director of Advocacy and Campaigns, told The New Arab that the ongoing situation in Qusra was an example of why the UK's sanctions commitments must be enforced with speed. "One month into the ongoing siege of families in Qusra, the horrific reality for Palestinians remains the same," Talbot said, adding "the situation in Qusra demonstrates why the UK's latest commitments to upholding and enforcing international law must be implemented rapidly and comprehensively." [1]

Israeli soldiers conduct a surprise military drill in the occupied West Bank. — Source: anadolu

Separate Allegations from Gaza Operations

An Israeli reservist has said that army officers treat Gaza’s entire population of two million Palestinians as targets, describing widespread killings and a collapse of rules of engagement during the genocide. The drone operator, who spoke to Haaretz on condition of anonymity in an article published on Thursday, described a range of alleged crimes against Palestinian civilians. He said he joined the army in 2008 and has killed at least 54 Palestinians up until October 2023, including unarmed civilians. During the genocide in Gaza, he served in a drone attack cell until leaving the army in July. “In the first days, there were no rules,” he said, describing an army with no clear rules of engagement when it came to Palestinians. The reservist also witnessed the Israeli army’s attack on clearly marked ambulances in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah in March 2025, which killed 15 Palestinian aid and medical workers. The Israeli army initially denied wrongdoing. After a mass grave containing the victims was discovered, it promised an investigation. No Israeli soldier had been put on trial over the killings. “These were clearly identifiable as emergency vehicles, even when ground fire opened on them,” the reservist told Haaretz, describing the night of the attack. “Without any apparent reason, the ground troops stormed the convoy. They shot at the first vehicle. The medical staff exited, hid behind the ambulances and pleaded for their lives, and the soldiers shot them, one after another,” he said. “After this incident, I realised that anyone could kill whoever they wanted, as much as they wanted, and they wouldn’t be held accountable for it." Despite witnessing the Rafah killings, the reservist continued to serve in Gaza. After taking five days’ leave in Georgia this year, he returned to duty in late April. When he returned, he said: “Everyone was already talking about killing. “I asked to meet with the intelligence officer to upload targets to the computer,” he said. The officer told him: “You have two million targets in Gaza.” The reservist said the officer meant Gaza’s entire population of two million people. Israeli forces have killed at least 73,658 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, according to Palestinian authorities, with more than 1,300 killed since a ceasefire was signed last October. The reservist also described how senior Israeli army commanders move the so-called "Yellow Line" at will. The Yellow Line is a demarcation established under the ceasefire to mark the limits of Israeli military deployments inside Gaza. “The division commander decided, on his own, to push them westwards, sometimes by hundreds of metres, creating a new border,” the reservist said, referring to the concrete barriers that marked the line. Palestinians in Gaza had no way of knowing where the new boundary began, he said, adding that army commanders had encouraged soldiers to kill anyone who approached the line. “They try to incriminate people without intelligence and without proof, retroactively, just to create a justification for an attack,” he said, describing pressure placed on him and his colleagues to open fire on Palestinians approaching the line. “Just like they shout to a player, 'Come on, score a goal', they shout to a soldier, 'Kill him, attack him'." The reservist said the concept of “collateral damage” quickly disappeared from consideration. “They fire at anyone they see,” he said, describing what he compares to a football stadium atmosphere inside his attack cell. The reservist also told Haaretz that he witnessed Israeli forces monitoring criminal acts carried out by army-backed militias, without intervening. “They burn rows of houses, and we watch them from above. Arson, looting, shooting,” he said. [2]

Additional Israeli Military Activity

Israeli army launches surprise military drill in occupied West Bank. Israel tightens military measures on Palestinian movement across West Bank and East Jerusalem during Jewish holidays. [3]

What to watch next: The ongoing situation in Qusra demonstrates why the UK's latest commitments to upholding and enforcing international law must be implemented rapidly and comprehensively, while the reservist described how the army is allowing mercenaries, criminal gangs and drug dealers to commit war crimes in Gaza.