Settlers Torch Mosque Near Nablus in West Bank Escalation

Illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers attempted to set fire to the Noureddin Zenki Mosque early Tuesday in Bizzariya, northwest of Nablus. Local sources confirmed that perpetrators threw incendiary devices through windows after failing to breach the main doors of the religious site in the northern occupied West Bank.

The attackers set fire to a room adjacent to the mosque and sprayed racist slogans on nearby walls. This criminal assault represents a dangerous escalation aimed at provoking Muslims and violating the sanctity of holy sites protected under international law, according to official statements released shortly after the incident occurred.

The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs strongly condemned the attack. It described the incident as a systematic effort to insult religious sentiments. The ministry emphasized that targeting places of worship directly violates international conventions and constitutes a deliberate provocation against the Palestinian people and their faith.

Nablus Endowments Director Sheikh Nasser Salman stated that such attempts reflect continued incitement. He affirmed that mosques will remain filled with worshippers despite these violations. Salman added that these attacks will not break the will of the Palestinian people or their deep attachment to their land and sacred historical sites.

Violence spread elsewhere as colonizers invaded Awarta village southeast of Nablus. They conducted provocative tours near homes and olive groves. In occupied Jerusalem, settlers attacked a Palestinian bus using pepper spray and physical assault. Other groups grazed livestock on private lands in Yarza and Bethlehem, damaging crops and trees significantly.

Data shows Israeli settlers carried out 4,357 attacks between January and August 2026. This figure surpasses the 3,818 attacks recorded throughout all of 2025. Since the beginning of 2026, eleven mosques have been torched. Human rights monitors warn this intimidation threatens livelihoods and increases pressure on residents to leave their ancestral lands permanently.