Witnesses describe tear gas, stones in Israeli settler attack in Qusra

Palestinian residents trapped inside a home in Qusra on Saturday described a terrifying hour-long siege, as dozens of masked Israeli settlers surrounded the house and pelted it with stones, according to accounts given to Reuters. Saddam Oday, one of seven people trapped inside, said the Israeli military fired tear gas into the home and detained those sheltering there, while letting him go. None of the settlers was detained and all of them were allowed to leave freely, he told Reuters. The homeowner, Luay Bayruti, said soldiers handcuffed, blindfolded and beat those inside before releasing them. He showed a reporter his bandaged arm, injured by a stone during the siege. Oday, a medic, said four of those trapped were hurt by tear gas and two by thrown stones. Nearby, Loui Ridi, whose home was among three besieged by settlers earlier this month, said he watched Saturday's assault from his house, a few hundred yards away, and described near-daily settler encroachments despite a heavy military presence. Luay Bayruti, the owner of a house that came under settler attack, outside of the medical center in Qusra, 29 August 2026 (Ammar Awad/Reuters)