Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian homes near the West Bank village of Qusra on Saturday, marking the first significant assault since a settler siege earlier this month provoked international criticism. Witnesses reported that settlers surrounded a Palestinian house and threw stones while seven Palestinians remained trapped inside.

Saddam Oday, one of those confined within the home, stated that the Israeli military fired tear gas into the building and detained the residents, although he was later released. He noted that no settlers were apprehended, and they were allowed to leave the scene. The house’s owner, Luay Bayrudi, said that upon the Israeli military’s arrival, those inside were handcuffed, blindfolded, and beaten before being released. Bayrudi also reported that after he contacted the Israeli military for assistance, he and six others were confined in the home for over an hour while settlers continued to throw stones. He showed a bandaged arm which he said was injured by a stone during the attack. Oday, a medic, added that four people sustained injuries from tear gas, and two others were hurt by stones.

The assault took place a few hundred yards from three homes that settlers had besieged earlier this month, incidents that drew widespread condemnation and prompted a large Israeli military response. Residents of the area said the military presence has effectively imprisoned them in their homes.

In a separate development in Gaza, Israel’s military reported striking a Hamas commander believed to be hiding within the compound of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, though it has not confirmed whether the target was killed. The hospital said three people were injured during an Israeli strike near a warehouse adjacent to the maternity ward of the medical facility. Earlier reports from the hospital indicated one person was killed by Israeli fire. Additionally, an Israeli strike near a roundabout in Gaza resulted in two fatalities and several injuries.

These events underscore ongoing tensions and violence in both the West Bank and Gaza amid a broader backdrop of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.