WEST BANK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The United Nations Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory warned that settler attacks and encroachments on Palestinian homes have reached intolerable levels, calling on Israeli occupation authorities to evacuate settlers who commit violence against thousands of Palestinians, illegally seize Palestinian land and expand settlements.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the office said the establishment of an Israeli settlement outpost near the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, in November 2025 was followed, according to reports, by settlers taking control of an area west of the town in Area B, alongside an escalation in attacks against Palestinians.
According to the office, the attacks have included home invasions, physical assaults, vandalism, theft and arson, as well as attacks on a local mosque.
One of the most serious incidents of settler violence occurred in July, when settlers from an outpost in the Ras al-Ain area of Qusra cut off water and electricity supplies to three nearby Palestinian homes.
On August 9, settlers blocked all gates and entrances leading to the three homes, erected a tent between them and prevented residents from entering or leaving the area. As a result, three Palestinian families comprising around 15 people, including at least two children, were trapped inside their homes.
According to the office, members of the three families lived in fear and were deprived of access to basic necessities, including water and electricity.
The families asked Israeli forces at the scene to intervene, but the forces did not respond. Instead, according to the office, they prevented paramedics, solidarity activists and journalists from reaching the families.
Video footage showed soldiers praying alongside settlers at the site. On August 12, soldiers removed the settlers’ tent but did not remove the settlers themselves, who continued surrounding the homes as of Thursday.
The UN Human Rights Office said the settlers’ actions, carried out with the support or acquiescence of Israel, the occupying power, were making life intolerable for the Palestinian families and were clearly intended to force them from their homes and land.
The office warned that time was running out for the three Palestinian families, who face the risk of forcible displacement.
The United Nations noted that the International Court of Justice has affirmed that all Israeli settlements are illegal and that Israel must cease all settlement activity, evacuate settlers, including those intimidating Palestinians in Qusra and Jalud, and end its unlawful presence in the West Bank.
The office stressed that, in the meantime, Israel must fulfill its obligations under international law by ensuring the safety of the local Palestinian population and preventing and investigating attacks by settlers unlawfully present in the West Bank.
It also called for accountability for everyone responsible for committing, supporting or tolerating such attacks, including penalties proportionate to the abuses and violations committed.
According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli forces and settlers carried out 2,256 attacks in July, reflecting an organized daily policy targeting the Palestinian presence.
During July, settlers also sought to establish 29 new agricultural and pastoral settlement outposts across nine governorates to facilitate control over large areas of land and fragment connections between Palestinian communities.
The commission also documented 11,074 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank during the first half of 2026, indicating an increase in organized violence against Palestinians.
