New York, Aug. 14 (SANA) The UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory called on Israeli occupation authorities to take immediate action to halt settler attacks that it said were driving Palestinians from their homes, enabling land seizures and facilitating settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement Thursday, the office said Israeli settlers had tightened their control over areas west of the Palestinian town of Qusra in Nablus Governorate since an Israeli settlement outpost was established nearby in November 2025, according to UN News.
Palestinians in Qusra have faced repeated attacks, including attacks on homes, physical assaults, vandalism, theft and arson, including an attack on a mosque, the statement said.
The UN office said settlers last month cut water and electricity supplies to three Palestinian homes near an outpost in the Ras al-Ain area. On Aug. 9, settlers blocked entrances to the homes and erected a tent between them, preventing people from entering or leaving.
Three Palestinian families comprising about 15 people, including at least two children, were left trapped in their homes without access to water or electricity, it said.
The families sought help from Israeli occupation forces at the site, but soldiers instead prevented paramedics, solidarity activists and journalists from reaching them, according to the statement.
The UN office said the actions by settlers, carried out with the support or tacit approval of Israeli authorities, appeared intended to force Palestinian families from their homes and land. It warned that the three families faced an imminent risk of forced displacement.
The office recalled an International Court of Justice ruling that Israeli settlements are illegal and called on Israel to halt settlement activity, evacuate settlers and end its unlawful presence in the West Bank.
It also urged Israeli occupation authorities to protect Palestinians, prevent and investigate settler attacks and hold accountable those responsible for carrying out or supporting them.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry earlier Thursday condemned the siege by Israeli occupation forces and settlers on Qusra, including restrictions on Palestinian homes and damage to water and electricity networks, and called for international intervention.
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