RAMALLAH, August 13, 2026 (WAFA) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Thursday condemned the escalation of Israeli colonist terrorism and attacks against the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, as well as Israeli inhumane practices against Palestinians returning to the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the ministry said the crimes were part of systematic policies aimed at displacing Palestinians and uprooting them from their land while imposing a reality that serves plans to annex the West Bank.
It said the attacks by Israeli colonists in Qusra, including the siege of Palestinian families inside their homes for five days, shooting at the homes, damaging electricity and water networks, and an attempt to burn children, constitute systematic acts of terrorism. The ministry said Israel uses colonists as a tool to carry out its criminal policies, under protection provided by Israeli institutions, reinforcing a system of impunity.
The ministry also condemned Israeli violations against Palestinians returning to Gaza and welcomed a statement by the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory documenting physical violence, threats, inhumane treatment and humiliating searches, as well as the confiscation of medicines, medical supplies, personal documents, money and private belongings.
It said Israel's policies and practices in Gaza seek to create an environment that is hostile and unfit for life in order to push Palestinians toward forced displacement and deny them their right to return to their homeland. The ministry stressed that Palestinians' determination to return despite the destruction, humanitarian catastrophe and degrading treatment demonstrates their attachment to their land and rejection of attempts to uproot them.
The ministry stressed that no political process can move forward without respecting and implementing the Palestinian people's right of return and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
It called on the international community to take immediate and effective measures to halt colonist terrorism, hold perpetrators accountable and impose sanctions on them and on entities providing them with protection and support. It also called for Israel, as the occupying power, to respect the ceasefire agreement and fulfill its obligations.
The ministry further called for implementation of President Donald Trump's plan, particularly provisions concerning the opening of crossings and ensuring unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, to guarantee the safe and dignified return of Palestinians to Gaza and their access to basic necessities and property.
It also called for the protection of civilians and the provision of humanitarian, relief and medical assistance, leading to a comprehensive and permanent end to the aggression, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the start of recovery and reconstruction, an end to the occupation, and the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
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