West Bank mosque arson reported after deadly Tal clash

Palestinian officials said Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques, vandalized cars and damaged agricultural land in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli forces expanded raids following a deadly confrontation near Nablus that killed four Palestinians and two Israelis.

The latest reported attacks came two days after violence in and around the village of Tal, southwest of Nablus. Both Palestinians and Israelis accused the other side of provoking the clash, which has intensified tensions across the territory.

In Qusra, southeast of Nablus, village council head Abdul Azim Wadi said settlers set fire to a mosque that was under construction and spray-painted graffiti on its walls, including the word “revenge.” Al Jazeera reported that the mosque was the newly built Al-Rahma Mosque and said verified videos showed fire consuming it. The BBC reported that the Israeli military said troops were sent to Qusra and that police would investigate and collect evidence.

Palestinian officials said settlers also set fire to another mosque in Kour, south of Tulkarem, and sprayed slogans on its walls. Farid Jiyousi, a member of the Kour village council, told Al Jazeera that three settlers tried to set the mosque ablaze at dawn but worshippers extinguished the fire before it reached the main area.

Palestinian reports said other villages were attacked overnight, with cars vandalized, property stolen and hate graffiti sprayed on walls. Al Jazeera, reporting from Ramallah, said Israeli forces raided Rafidia near Nablus and were seen in Huwara, where witnesses reported assaults on a paramedic and a man. The Palestine Red Crescent Society also reported an assault on one of its paramedics in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, Al Jazeera said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the Tal incident by vowing to take “powerful action.” The Israel Defense Forces said it was carrying out a “counter-terrorism” operation, and Al Jazeera reported that the operation ordered after the deaths of the two Israeli soldiers intensified on Sunday.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported arrests across the West Bank, including 30 people in Tal, 14 in Ramallah, five in Jenin, eight in Hebron, three in Bethlehem and six in Tulkarem. Wafa also reported large-scale Israeli raids in Jenin and several nearby towns and villages. Israel’s Kan broadcaster reported strict traffic restrictions and numerous checkpoints on main roads and at village entrances across the West Bank.

Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya, an Israeli army spokesperson, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that Israeli forces were raiding homes in Tal belonging to villagers suspected of involvement in Friday’s violence. She said the homes “were raided in preparation for their temporary sealing, as a preliminary step preceding their demolition.” The BBC reported that possible demolitions included the homes of two Palestinians allegedly involved in the clash.

Violence in the West Bank had already worsened before the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and has escalated since Israel launched its war against Hamas in Gaza. The United Nations says 1,114 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, most by the IDF, with at least 35 deaths involving settler attacks. It says 41 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the West Bank in the same period.

Israel has built hundreds of settlements housing about 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since occupying the territories in the 1967 Middle East war. About 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them. The settlements are illegal under international law.