Israeli settlers set fire to mosques, cars and farmland in West Bank, Palestinians say


On 26 July 2026, Palestinian officials reported that Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques and vandalised cars and agricultural land in the occupied West Bank, marking a new spike in violence.


"They came from everywhere," an eyewitness told BBC. "We tried to escape but they followed us and threw stones."

The attacks follow a deadly clash in Tal that killed four Palestinians and two Israelis two days earlier, a confrontation that both sides blamed on each other.


Settler violence has risen across the West Bank in months, with communities such as Qusra and Kour blazed with torch fires and spray‑painted slogans including the word "revenge".


Israel’s defense forces dispatched troops to Qusra and launched a "counter‑terrorism" raid that arrested more than 130 people over the weekend.


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed "powerful action" after the Tal incident, hinting at possible demolition of settler homes and a push to legalise more outposts.


The incident adds to a record of atrocities that the UN says often involve IDF and local settlers, with 1,114 Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the Gaza war began.




Watch: BBC speaks to Palestinians targeted by Israeli settlers



A boy sits with his face in his hands outside a damaged mosque which has graffiti on its walls
Graffiti was visible on the outside walls of the mosque, which was damaged by fire