Settlers torch two mosques, scrawl ‘revenge’ graffiti in overnight West Bank rampages
Times of Israel · LC · trust 55/100
Settlers attacked several Palestinian towns and villages overnight Saturday, torching two mosques, a home and several vehicles and spraying graffiti claiming “revenge” for the killing of an Israeli in a deadly clash as violence continued to engulf the West Bank, the IDF and Palestinian reports said.
A wave of settler violence surged over the weekend after two Israelis — a member of a settler civilian security team and an IDF officer — were killed during a deadly confrontation on Friday. Four Palestinians were also killed during the incident.
Palestinian media reported that settlers raided the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, overnight and set fire to a mosque. Footage from the scene showed the building in flames along with spray-painted Hebrew graffiti reading “Benayahu’s Revenge,” along with a Star of David and other messages.
Qusra Mayor Abdul Azim Wadi told the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, WAFA, that settlers set fire to the under-construction Al-Rahma Mosque. The fire damaged wooden materials and equipment at the site.
The graffiti was apparently a reference to Benayahu Mellet, the civilian security squad member from the Havat Gilad settlement who, along with an army commander, was shot and killed in the Palestinian village of Tell on Friday.
عاجل | مستوطنون يضرمون النيران في مسجد، ويخطّون شعارات معادية خلال هجومهم على بلدة قصرة، جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/YJb97EJIjg
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) July 26, 2026
Mellet’s rifle was grabbed from him amid a confrontation between residents of the village and a group of Israelis, which included armed men and minors. Mellet and IDF officer Maj. Yuval Ezra were killed in an ensuing exchange of fire, as were four Palestinians. Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, and Master Sergeant (res.) Benayahu Mellet, 32, who were killed in a West Bank gunfight on July 24, 2026. (Courtesy) The army has said the Israelis did not coordinate with them before entering the area, which is off-limits to Israelis; Palestinians have said the Israelis attacked the village before the deadly confrontation.
In the wake of that incident, extremist settlers have carried out a weekend of violent assaults on Palestinians, accompanied by calls to avenge Mellet.
The IDF said that troops dispatched to Qusra overnight had combed the area for suspects, but they had fled before the troops’ arrival. The soldiers also spotted the “arson and graffiti” in the village.
Israel Police officers were set to enter the village later Sunday with an IDF escort to “collect testimony, findings, and evidence for the investigation.”
Referring to the settler attack, the army said it and other Israeli security forces “strongly condemn incidents of this kind, including harm to religious institutions, and will continue to act decisively to maintain security and order in the area.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian media reported that another mosque, in the village of Kur, near Tulkarm, was also set on fire overnight. Hebrew graffiti reading “Jewish blood is not free” was spray-painted on the walls. Footage also showed unidentified individuals attempting to set fire to a house near Nablus. No injuries were immediately reported as a result of either arson.
اعتداءات لا تتوقف.. مستوطنون يهاجمون مركبات الفلسطينيين على طريق "وادي قانا" بين مدينتي سلفيت وقلقيلية. pic.twitter.com/x1tv5BXqLA
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) July 25, 2026
Settlers also reportedly set fire to several vehicles near the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah. Additionally, there were reports of settlers throwing stones at Palestinian vehicles and several roads across the West Bank overnight. In one video, settlers were seen standing at the entrance to a Palestinian village and forcing an approaching vehicle to turn back.
Wafa also reported that settlers attacked Beit Furik and set fire to a home, causing some damage before locals were able to extinguish the blaze. Sources told the news agency that the raiders also sprayed racist slogans on walls as well as calls for revenge.
In addition, another group of settlers reportedly injured several Palestinians during an assault on a stone-cutting facility in the Ein Samia area, east of Ramallah. The attackers were also said to set fire to heavy equipment in the area. Wafa did not report the extent of the injuries to the Palestinians.
Also Sunday, the IDF said it had measured the homes of two Palestinians involved in the deadly shooting ahead of their planned demolition and sealed off one of them.
The homes belong to the Palestinian who opened fire with the gun snatched from Mellet before being shot dead and the home of the Palestinian who snatched the gun to begin with, who was shot and wounded in the incident and later captured by IDF commandos in a hospital in Nablus.
“The homes of the two terrorists were mapped in preparation for the temporary sealing of the houses, which is expected to be carried out as a preliminary step before their demolition,” the IDF said.
It later announced that the home of the shooter had also been sealed. Sealing the homes of attackers is often a replacement or stopgap for demolishing them. In general, the demolition process takes several months, as the High Court must address appeals by the family, and security forces often wait an optimal time to enter Palestinian cities or neighborhoods for the operation.
The IDF said the temporary sealing of the home was approved by Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, and that the military “intends to continue to advance the process of demolishing the house.”
The demolition of the homes of the Palestinians involved in the clash in Tell was ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, along with a security crackdown on Palestinians in the West Bank and a pledge to bolster Israeli settlements in the area.
Israeli troops carried out raids in several Palestinian towns and villages across the West Bank overnight and into Saturday, arresting dozens of…
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