Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked homes near the village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, escalating tensions in an area already under heavy military presence following a recent siege by settlers. Witnesses reported that the settlers surrounded a Palestinian residence, throwing stones while seven Palestinians remained trapped inside.

Saddam Oday, one of those inside the home during the incident, said Israeli military forces fired tear gas into the building and detained the occupants, before later releasing them. Oday added that no settlers were detained and that the military allowed them to leave the scene. The homeowner, Luay Bayruti, accused Israeli troops of handcuffing, blindfolding, and beating those inside the house before their release. Footage showed a significant deployment of Israeli forces across the area.

In an official statement, the Israeli military said its troops and border police responded to reports of "rioters" arriving in the area and engaged in violent clashes, including stone-throwing directed at both Palestinians and others. The military said that upon their arrival, security forces found dozens of rioters barricaded inside a Palestinian home where residents were present. It acknowledged reports of Palestinian injuries but did not clarify the use of tear gas inside the residence.

The military said it removed settlers from the house, separated the groups involved, and confiscated vehicles suspected of being used to access the area. A police investigation was reportedly underway regarding the incident. The forces said they would continue operating in the Qusra and nearby Jalud areas "to prevent further disturbances and restore order," condemning all forms of violence.

Bayruti said that after he called the Israeli military for assistance, he and six others were trapped inside the home for over an hour during the stone-throwing attack. He showed a Reuters reporter a bandage on his arm, which he said was injured by a stone. Oday, a medic present during the incident, said four of those inside suffered injuries from tear gas exposure, while two others were hurt by stones.

This attack took place just a few hundred yards from three homes in Qusra that were besieged by settlers earlier in August, an episode that drew widespread international condemnation. The siege prompted a large Israeli military deployment that local residents say has effectively confined them to their homes. Despite the military presence, settlers continue to move freely around the surrounding hills.

Loui Ridi, a Palestinian-American resident whose home was among those under siege earlier in the month, said settlers began throwing rocks after spotting residents working on a house under construction nearby. He said he witnessed Saturday’s attack from his home and noted that settler incursions into the area have become nearly daily occurrences despite the military presence.

Human rights groups have criticized the growing settler presence near Palestinian villages like Qusra as part of an ongoing effort to seize land, further eroding territory Palestinians seek for a future state. Violence involving settlers in the West Bank has increased in recent years, reportedly encouraged by the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has supported settlement expansion. Netanyahu has not publicly commented on the Qusra events.

The Israeli military confirmed that operations would continue in Qusra and Jalud to prevent further violence and maintain order. The international community widely regards Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law related to military occupations, a characterization Israel disputes, describing the area as disputed territory rather than occupied.

Currently, over 500,000 Israelis live in settlements across the West Bank, among approximately 3 million Palestinians. Israel has maintained control over the territory since 1967. According to Palestinian health ministry data compiled by a news agency, at least 1,103 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023. Israeli government figures report that at least 48 Israelis have died in attacks or military operations during the same period.