Activists have attempted to deliver aid to Palestinian families whose homes in the occupied West Bank have been under siege by Israeli settlers for days. The group reportedly left water and food near one of the houses in Qusra where two Palestinian families have been confined since Sunday, with their power and water supplies cut off.
Residents stated that Israeli forces prevented activists from delivering the aid directly, requiring the supplies to be left outside. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied this account. On Friday, a number of settlers returned to the area and set up a tent near the site, a day after Israeli forces had dispersed them. The tent was later removed by Israeli forces.
The IDF stated that Qusra had been declared a "closed military zone," preventing Israeli civilians, including those among the activists, from entering. However, the military clarified that they were not prevented from transferring aid to the Palestinian homes.
"But they weren't prevented from transferring aid to the Palestinian homes in Qusra," an IDF statement said. The military also reported that Israeli civilians had erected a tent earlier on Friday, which IDF soldiers then removed while "protecting the local residents."
Approximately a dozen Palestinian households were instructed to vacate their properties during the operation to disperse settlers on Thursday. This included members of the Abu Ridi and Hassan families, who reside in two of the three besieged homes. The Mayor of Qusra, Abdul Azim Wadi, told the BBC that Israeli forces were occupying some of the vacated Palestinian houses as barracks. The Israeli military asserted that the purpose of their presence was "to protect the residents" and that soldiers had been "instructed that the Qusra residents will remain in their homes."
Earlier, a spokesperson had characterized the settlers' actions as "deplorable" and "unacceptable," vowing that the government would investigate and arrest those responsible.