At least four people are trapped inside their home, as a previous siege on Palestinian families has continued for three weeks. Israeli settlers, backed by Israeli forces, have surrounded a Palestinian house in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. At least four Palestinians were trapped inside the house on Saturday as settlers set fire to nearby land, according to Al Jazeera journalists. Coordination is being made to allow ambulances to reach the area and evacuate an injured person. Recommended Stories 4-item listend list Qusra has faced a growing campaign of violence from Israeli settlers over the past month. Since August 9, settlers have laid siege to three Palestinian homes in the Ras al-Ain area, trapping families inside and cutting off access to water, electricity and other essential supplies. Settlers also set fire to a mosque in the village in July. “We are not safe here. We fear for our own safety. The settlers are still moving freely around the house and also attacking residents of nearby houses,” Loui Abu Ridi, a resident who has been trapped inside his house for weeks, told Al Jazeera. “We are trying to get more basic supplies, and we have elderly people and children.” Palestinian journalist Sara Abu al-Rob, reporting from Ramallah on Saturday, told Al Jazeera that Israeli soldiers and settlers attacked six Palestinians in the village who were trying to install metal bars and guards on the windows of their houses to protect their families, adding that “Israeli settlers continue to throw stones and incendiary material at the houses there.” He said one of those besieged, Loai al-Bairoty, was wounded. Earlier in the day, residents told him that “the Israeli army is protecting settlers, not residents who are trying to reach their land.” The mayor of Qusra, Abdel Azim Wadi, told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces at the site had attempted to arrest the besieged Palestinians themselves. Israeli forces have declared the area a closed military zone and have restricted the entry and exit of Palestinians, placing a gate at the main entrance to Qusra. Palestinians traveling to the village are forced to take alternative routes, which are often blocked by Israeli forces. Abu Ridi told Al Jazeera that the feeling of being trapped is “a nightmare… 21 days, we can’t even sleep, we have to stay awake at night.” [and] Keep watching the security cameras, because those settlers can attack at any time.” He said residents have to coordinate with the mayor of Qusra to get food and supplies, and that it can take three to four days to get approval. “We are not allowed to live freely in and out of our homes,” he added. On Wednesday, the Israeli army erected three new barricades in places surrounding the top of the Ras al-Ain hill, disconnecting houses from the area below. In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli army said which had responded to reports of “violent clashes” involving “Israeli rioters” in Qusra, removing them from their homes and confiscating their vehicles. He said forces would remain in the area “to prevent further unrest and restore order.” Attacks have increased in intensity and frequency since Israel launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023, in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
