Families Trapped in Their Homes: What's Happening in a West Bank Village
Israeli settlers, along with soldiers, have trapped two Palestinian families inside their homes in the West Bank village of Qusra since the weekend of 9 August 2026. The West Bank is Palestinian territory that Israel has occupied since 1967. Residents and rights groups say the settlers are trying to drive the families from their homes through ongoing intimidation The Guardian.
On Sunday, 9 August, settlers and soldiers set up a tent outside the home of Yousef Hassan, trapping him inside with his wife and two young daughters. Hassan said settlers threw stones, used obscene language, and shouted through the night. His mother, brother, sister, and three neighbours were also trapped in a separate home, with electricity and water cut off The Guardian. TRT World reported that settlers blocked roads near homes in Qusra, and that villagers were attacked by Israeli forces when they tried to reach their farmland TRT World. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that settlers besieged a family's house on the outskirts of Qusra, south of Nablus, on Monday 10 August for the second day in a row Wafa.
The situation worsened on Monday 10 August. Hassan's two-year-old daughter became ill with vomiting and a high fever. Settlers blocked an ambulance from reaching the home. The girl and her mother were evacuated on Tuesday 11 August The Guardian.
This is not the first time Qusra has faced such attacks. In March 2026, a settler killed 28-year-old Amir Moatasem Odeh in Qusra, and another attacker stabbed his father. No one has been arrested. In July 2026, settlers used the same blockade tactics to force the al Tubasi family out of the nearby village of Jalud after a siege lasting months The Guardian. Qusra has a long history of settler harassment: Wafa reported settlers attacking olive pickers in October 2023 Wafa, Israeli forces besieging international activists at a building in October 2024 Wafa, and the town's main entrance has been blocked to Palestinians by Israeli forces since at least April 2023 Wafa.
The Israeli military's response has been slow and limited. On Wednesday morning, 12 August, the regional commander, Gen Avi Bluth, visited the trapped families and promised to lift the siege. This was confirmed by both an Israeli military spokesperson and by Hassan. Soldiers removed the settlers' tent but left their bedding and other belongings. Brief clashes broke out between soldiers and settlers before the military pulled back, leaving settlers still in front of the house The Guardian.
An Israeli military spokesperson said commanders were "gravely concerned" and that soldiers who helped the settlers would face disciplinary action, but gave no timeline. The military said it is working with police to bring "those responsible for the disturbances to justice" The Guardian.
On Wednesday evening, the head of Israel's military, IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir, met with senior commanders about Qusra. He ordered a group of infantry reservists, soldiers who are civilians called back to duty, to return from leave and reinforce troops in the West Bank The Guardian.
The broader context here is one of rising settler violence in the West Bank, carried out with what appears to be near-total impunity, even when Israeli military leaders publicly admit the problem. The gap between words and action is stark. Gen Bluth promised to lift the siege; his soldiers removed a tent and then withdrew, leaving settlers in place. The military spokesperson promised disciplinary action against soldiers who helped settlers; no timeline was given. The military pledged coordination with police to prosecute; the March killing of Amir Moatasem Odeh remains unprosecuted five months later.
The pattern in Qusra fits a wider approach documented across the West Bank. Settlers set up a physical presence, cut water and electricity, block emergency services, and maintain the pressure long enough to make life unlivable. The al Tubasi family's expulsion from Jalud in July, done the same way, shows this tactic can work. What sets Qusra apart is the direct involvement of soldiers in the siege, the intervention of Israel's top military commander, and the calling up of reservists.
Zamir's decision to recall reservists suggests Israel's military leadership believes the situation in the West Bank needs more forces. But the official language about "disturbances" and "reinforcement" does not make clear whether the extra troops are meant to control the settlers, to manage possible Palestinian protests, or both. What is certain is that as of Wednesday evening, two families in Qusra were still trapped in their homes, the settlers outside had not been removed, and the promise to lift the siege had not been kept.
