Arson attack on Hajja Hamida Mosque condemned worldwide
An arson attack that local residents say was carried out by Israeli settlers damaged the Hajja Hamida Mosque in the Palestinian village of Deir Istiya, near Salfit in the northern West Bank, at dawn on Thursday. Photographs from the scene show racist, anti-Palestinian slogans sprayed on the mosque's walls and copies of the Quran reportedly burned.
The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs described the incident as a "heinous crime," saying it underlines what it called the "barbarity" with which Israeli authorities and settlers have treated Muslim and Christian holy sites in the occupied territory.
Fatalities and broader pattern of attacks
Separately on Thursday, the Wafa news agency reported that two Palestinian children were killed when Israeli forces opened fire during a raid in Beit Ummar, near Hebron in the southern West Bank.
UN agencies and rights groups say both settler and military attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have accelerated this year. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported at least 167 settler incidents linked to the 2025 olive harvest since October 1, leaving more than 150 Palestinians injured and damaging over 5,700 olive trees.
Experts link the spike in violence to the wider context of Israel's war in Gaza, which has resulted in a very high Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, and to political moves by members of Israel's far-right government to formalise control over parts of the West Bank.
In July, the UN human rights office warned that settler violence was occurring "with the acquiescence, support, and in some cases participation, of Israeli security forces." It said such attacks were "part of a broader and coordinated strategy" to expand and consolidate annexation and to reinforce systems of discrimination and control.
International reactions and calls for accountability
The attack on the Deir Istiya mosque prompted widespread international condemnation. A spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the organisation was "deeply disturbed" and emphasised that attacks on places of worship are "completely unacceptable." He added that "Israel, as the occupying power, has a responsibility to protect the civilian population and ensure those responsible are held to account."
Jordan's Foreign Ministry "strongly condemned" the surge in settler attacks, describing the violence as an extension of what it called extremist policies and inflammatory rhetoric. Germany and Switzerland urged thorough investigations and accountability; both governments called for a halt to settler violence and to the expansion of settlements.
Palestinian officials and rights groups have urged international actors to move beyond statements and take concrete measures, including options such as suspending arms transfers to Israel, to curb the violence and protect civilians.
Other recent incidents
UN OCHA also reported that last week settlers set fire to a Palestinian home in Khirbet Abu Falah, near Ramallah, while a family was inside. Neighbours and civil defence teams extinguished the blaze; the family escaped but the mother fractured her leg while fleeing.
The mosque attack, the killings in Beit Ummar and continuing settler incidents have intensified calls from humanitarian groups, foreign governments and Palestinian officials for immediate protection of civilians, impartial investigations and accountability for perpetrators.
