RAMALLAH, August 13, 2026 (WAFA) — The United Nations Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said on Thursday that attacks and abuses by Israeli colonists against Palestinian homes have reached intolerable levels, calling on Israeli authorities to remove colonists who use violence against thousands of Palestinians, unlawfully seize Palestinian land and expand Israeli colonies.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the office said the establishment of an Israeli colonial outpost near Qusra, south of Nablus, in November 2025 was followed by colonists taking control of an area west of the village in Area B, alongside an escalation in attacks against Palestinians. These included home invasions, physical assaults, vandalism, theft and arson, including an attack on a local mosque.
The office said one of the most serious cases of colonist violence occurred last July, when colonists from an outpost in the Ras al-Ain area of Qusra cut off water and electricity supplies to three nearby Palestinian homes.
On August 9, the colonists closed all gates and entrances leading to the homes, erected a tent between them and prevented residents from entering or leaving the area. As a result, three Palestinian families, comprising around 15 people, including at least two children, were confined inside their homes in fear and were unable to meet their basic needs or access water and electricity.
According to the office, the families asked Israeli forces present at the site to intervene, but the forces failed to respond. Israeli forces also appeared to prevent paramedics, solidarity activists and journalists from reaching the families.
Video footage showed soldiers praying alongside colonists at the site, the office said. On August 12, soldiers removed the colonists' tent but did not remove the colonists themselves, who continued to surround the homes on Thursday.
The UN Human Rights Office said the criminal acts committed by colonists, with the support or tacit approval of Israel as the occupying power, have made life unbearable for the Palestinian families and are clearly aimed at forcing them to leave their homes and land. It warned that time is running out for the three families amid the risk of forcible displacement.
The office noted that the International Court of Justice has affirmed that all Israeli colonies are illegal and that Israel must halt all colonial activities, evacuate all colonists, including those terrorizing Palestinians in Qusra and Jalud, and end its unlawful presence in the West Bank.
It stressed that, in the meantime, Israel must comply with its obligations under international law to ensure the security of the Palestinian population, including preventing and investigating attacks by colonists unlawfully present in the West Bank and ensuring accountability for all those responsible for committing, supporting or tolerating such attacks, including imposing penalties proportionate to the violations committed.
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