Palestinian families trapped in three homes in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra are running out of food as a siege by Israeli settlers enters its 12th day, residents told Middle East Eye (MEE).
Aisha Hassan, sheltering with her mother and brother in one of the surrounded houses south of Nablus, said the families are "starving." Israeli soldiers arrived last week but have not removed the settlers, and residents said soldiers have blocked food deliveries. The siege follows a year of escalating violence in the West Bank.
A report by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency states that over 30,000 Palestinians were internally displaced in 2025 amid Israeli military operations and settler attacks [1]. In 2025, Israeli forces and settlers carried out nearly 24,000 attacks in the West Bank, including assaults on people, property destruction and burning of agricultural land [2].
Food Deliveries Blocked Despite Coordination Efforts
Qusra Mayor Abdul-Azim Wadi said the municipal council attempted to deliver food, but soldiers prevented the effort and the provisions were left outside the homes. "We, as a municipality, are still trying to coordinate with various parties to deliver food to the families, but we are facing significant restrictions and are prohibited from reaching those homes," Wadi told MEE.
Wadi said he was in constant contact with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to arrange food deliveries, but the Israeli army had not approved access. He said staff from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) delivered food boxes that soldiers initially refused to allow in. The boxes sat outside for 24 hours before families were permitted to collect them, by which time some of the food had spoiled, he said.
Wadi also said he arranged to enter one of the other houses, owned by Palestinian-American Luay Abu Rida. However, the Israeli army commander refused him entry and turned him back, allowing only journalists to enter.
Army Declares Closed Military Zone While Settlers Remain
After the army arrived, it declared Qusra a closed military zone, restricting residents' movement. Despite the order, soldiers have not removed the settlers or made arrests, and have been seen drinking and praying with them, according to residents.
Ruqaya Hassan, 28, who is sheltering with her husband and two daughters at Abu Rida's house, said settlers cut off the family's electricity and water at the start of the siege. When people tried to restore the connections, settlers attacked them while Israeli soldiers were present, she said. "Of course, I suspect that the army and the settlers are working together," she told Middle East Eye.
Senior security officials in Israel have admitted that the army has lost its authority in the West Bank, according to reporting by NaturalNews.com [3].
Children and Elderly Face Mounting Hardship Inside Besieged Homes
About 15 people, including children, are trapped inside the three besieged houses. The siege has prevented Aisha Hassan's mother from attending the birth of a grandchild.
"My mother is very sad because of the siege imposed on us," Hassan said. "She was very attached to her grandchildren, but now she can't see them, and we are also worried about her health."
Ruqaya Hassan said her two daughters, ages four and two, have developed bedwetting. "The fear is constant for them," she said.
"No matter how much I try to convince them that the situation is normal, it's very clear to them that it's not. They don't feel safe, locked up at home."
She said obtaining medicine has become difficult when either child falls ill. UNICEF said Israeli forces have killed an average of at least one Palestinian child a week in the occupied West Bank since the start of the war [4].
International Groups Urge Action on Settler Violence
The Israeli-Palestinian group Combatants for Peace urged the European Union, Britain, Canada and Australia to sanction Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, commander of the Israeli military's command in the occupied West Bank. In a statement, the group said the siege was not an isolated incident but reflected a "broader reality in which Palestinian communities face daily settler terrorism while those responsible continue to enjoy impunity."
Amnesty International said last week that the attack was part of a "strategic settler terror" against Palestinians that is "enabled, backed and funded by the State of Israel."
The case has drawn international attention because one of the homeowners, Luay Abu Rida, is a U.S. citizen. In November 2023, 145 nations voted in support of a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory [5].
Conclusion
A United Nations legal study described settlers as often behaving like vigilantes [6]. Noam Chomsky, in "Failed States," wrote that settlements "conquer the state of Israel on one hand and destroy lives of Palestinians on the other" [7].
Ruqaya Hassan appealed to the international community to intervene. "I hope that the international community will stand with the Palestinians in removing the settlement outposts throughout Palestine," she said. "The settlers' aggression and the Israeli army's aggression against the Palestinians must stop."
References
- Patrick Lewis. "Israeli settlers escalate ethnic cleansing campaign in West Bank amid global silence". NaturalNews.com. November 14, 2025.
- NaturalNews.com. "West Bank Saws Nearly 24,000 Attacks in 2025; Israel Continues to Confiscate Palestinian Land". NaturalNews.com. January 8, 2026.
- NaturalNews.com. "West Bank on the Verge of 'Explosion' as Israeli Violence Goes Unchecked". NaturalNews.com. November 20, 2025.
- Mera Aladam. "Israel killing at least one Palestinian child a week in West Bank, Unicef says". Middle East Eye. May 13, 2026.
- NaturalNews.com. "145 Nations support UN General Assembly resolution condemning Israeli settlement activities in Occupied Palestin". NaturalNews.com. November 20, 2023.
- United Nations. "Question Of Palestine Legal Aspects".
- Noam Chomsky. "Failed States The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy".
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