Palestinians warn of West Bank pogroms as settler attacks surge

Palestinians warn of 'systematic pogroms' in West Bank as settler violence surges At least 30 settler attacks have been recorded in the West Bank this weekend as Israeli forces clamp down on Nablus after Friday's deadly clashes Settlers set fire to a mosque in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, overnight on 26 July 2026. [Getty] Israeli forces have detained dozens of Palestinians in the West Bank as the Palestinian Authority warned of "systematic pogroms" amid a wave of settler violence across the territory. The Israeli military is mounting a large-scale operation in the north of the territory after a settler attack near Nablus on Friday left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead. Twenty-four Palestinians were arrested during raids in Nablus governorate on Sunday while another 16 were detained in Tulkarm and Jenin, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. Twelve of those arrested were from the village of Tell, the site of Friday's deadly settler attack. The raids are coinciding with a surge in retaliatory settler violence. Israel Army Radio said at least 30 separate attacks had been recorded across the West Bank over the weekend. Palestinian officials said settlers set fire to two mosques in villages near Nablus and Tulkarm overnight and wrote anti-Arab graffiti on their walls. Attacks and acts of vandalism were reported elsewhere in the territory, including in the governorates of Ramallah, Hebron and Bethlehem. Hamas condemned the targeting of mosques as "systematic fascist crimes" and "a blatant violation of Islamic holy sites that cannot be tolerated". Meanwhile, settlers established a new outpost near the village of Deir Istiya in the central province of Salfit on Sunday. Israeli forces responded to Friday's settler attack by launching sweeping raids against Palestinian towns and blocking roads across Nablus governorate. The Palestinian Red Crescent said soldiers have been preventing some hospital patients from entering Nablus to receive treatment. Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to expand settlements and outposts across the West Bank. Surge in settler violence Israel Army Radio said attacks by settler extremists rose 63 percent in the first half of 2026. Security data shows there were 660 separate incidents during the six-month period, up from 405 in the second half of 2025. "Israeli state-backed settler terrorism is intensifying into systematic pogroms across the occupied West Bank," the Palestinian prime minister's office wrote on X following the violence overnight. "Mosques set ablaze. Homes and property reduced to ashes. Palestinian civilians assaulted. Ambulances blocked. Impunity only fuels even more terrorism and extremism," it said. The developments come amid growing international concern over rising settler violence in the West Bank and the expanding scope of Israeli military operations, which Palestinians say are increasingly targeting civilian areas under the pretext of security operations. At least 1,185 Palestinians – including 250 children - have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 2023. In 2026, at least 87 Palestinians have been killed, including 21 killed by settlers. Since 2023, tens of thousands of civilians have been forcibly displaced by Israeli military and settler violence. Related Articles