Israeli Settlers, Army Besiege Qusra Families For 21 Days
Three Palestinian families remain under siege in Qusra as Israeli occupation forces and settlers intensify pressure to force them from their land.
Twenty Days under Siege in Qusra
Israeli occupation forces and illegal Israeli Jewish settlers have maintained a siege on three Palestinian homes in the Ras al-Ain area of Qusra, south of Nablus, for 20 consecutive days, Quds News Network and local sources reported on Friday.
Residents say the operation is intended to force the three families from their homes and ultimately seize their land.
Israeli occupation forces have intensified their presence around Jabal Ras al-Ain, restricting the families’ movement and their ability to obtain basic daily necessities.
Soldiers reportedly erected a military tent directly in front of the home of Palestinian resident Loai Abu Ridi and installed iron gates at entrances to the area, further restricting access.
Local residents warned that the prolonged siege increasingly threatens the ability of the three families to remain in their homes.
At the same time, illegal Israeli settlers, operating under the protection of occupation forces, installed new mobile homes at the eastern entrance to Qusra.
Residents said the move was intended to expand settlement outposts and consolidate control over additional Palestinian land.
Despite the pressure, the families and other residents of Qusra said they would remain on their land and rejected attempts to force them from the area.
Settler Attacks amid Widespread Raids
The siege in Qusra came amid widespread Israeli military raids and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank overnight Thursday and early Friday.
In Beita, south of Nablus, armed settlers assaulted Palestinian resident Issa Abdullah Hamayel and his wife in the Ain Umm al-Jarba area before forcing the couple to leave their land at gunpoint.
The Palestinian Red Crescent separately treated a Palestinian who was injured after being assaulted by Israeli forces in Tell, west of Nablus.
Israeli troops also stormed Beit Iba, Madama and Awarta, raiding homes and firing tear gas. A settler vehicle entered residential neighborhoods in Awarta during the military incursion.
In Jenin, Israeli occupation forces arrested Abdul Razzaq Abed, Adnan Abed and Mahmoud Abed after raiding their homes in Kafr Dan.
Troops also raided housing used by Palestinians displaced from the Jenin refugee camp near the Arab American University.
According to local reports, Israeli occupation forces detained relatives of wanted Palestinian Qais al-Bitawi, including a woman, in an attempt to pressure him to surrender.
Additional Israeli raids were reported in Tammun, south of Tubas, and Azzun, east of Qalqilya.
In Hebron (Al-Khalil), military vehicles entered the Al-Murabba’a area and southern parts of the city, where soldiers raided and searched Palestinian homes. Illegal settlers also gathered near Palestinian homes in the Al-Dawarah area of Sa’ir, north of Hebron.
Israeli Forces Remain inside Qalandiya Institute
In occupied Jerusalem, Israeli occupation forces maintained military control of the Qalandiya Vocational Institute for a fourth consecutive day on Friday.
Israeli military vehicles continued patrolling the surrounding area after occupation forces seized the UNRWA facility earlier this week, expelled its staff and raised an Israeli flag over the compound.
The institute, established in 1952, was the first UNRWA vocational training center in Palestine and has provided vocational education to generations of Palestinian refugees.
Israeli occupation forces also stormed Airport Street near the Qalandiya refugee camp on Friday, firing volleys of tear gas.
A Palestinian young man was detained during the raid before Israeli troops withdrew toward nearby military checkpoints. Palestine Chronicle
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