Israeli troops evict Palestinian families in Qusra despite promise to remove settlers

Israeli soldiers forced two Palestinian families out of their besieged homes in the West Bank village of Qusra on Thursday, despite a senior military commander's pledge a day earlier to end a settler campaign targeting them. Troops also briefly took over eight other homes, saying they were needed for a multi-day operation to remove the settlers; six were later returned to their occupants.

The standoff began on Sunday when settlers and soldiers erected a tent blocking access to three homes on the village's edge, cutting water and electricity and blocking an ambulance from reaching a sick child.

After mounting international criticism, Maj Gen Avi Bluth, commander of Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, visited Qusra on Wednesday and promised to evacuate the settlers. His troops removed the tent but left behind settlers' belongings, and a subsequent attempt to disperse the group using riot-control measures failed.

Residents describe ordeal

Resident Qusai Ridi said troops ordered families out that morning, citing a three-day operation, before allowing him back later in the day — by which point a security camera system had been damaged and equipment stolen. A neighbour's home remained occupied. Settlers continued patrolling near the site where 28-year-old Amir Moatasem Odeh was killed in March, a case in which no arrests have been made.

Returning families reported vandalism, including a torn Qur'an. Similar tactics were used in July to drive a family from their home in the nearby village of Jalud.

An Israeli military spokesperson said troops had been ordered not to displace Qusra residents but would not explain why those orders were disregarded. IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir has recalled a reservist infantry battalion to reinforce the West Bank, though domestic critics attribute the army's inaction to a lack of will rather than insufficient forces.

Former prime minister Ehud Olmert described the siege as a deliberate attempt at ethnic cleansing, condemning the army and police for inaction. Since 2020, Israeli civilians and soldiers have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians in the West Bank, with only one indictment. Rights group B'Tselem says 64 Palestinian communities have been forcibly displaced over the past three years.