Published on: 2026-08-13
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
August 13, 2026 Peace and Security
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called on Thursday on the Israeli authorities to assist Palestinian families in the West Bank who have been prevented by settlers from leaving their homes for several days.
This occupied territory is a key component of the future Palestinian state, the OHCHR reminded, and the violent expansion of settlements is becoming an increasingly serious obstacle to the negotiation process.
According to reports, the United States is attempting to facilitate the end of the siege that began on Sunday: the US ambassador to Israel called to restrain those he called “Israeli terrorists.”
Three Palestinian families – about 15 people, including at least two children – remain trapped “in a state of terror” in the village of Kusra south of Nablus. A UNHCR statement says settlers may have cut off their electricity and water.
“The criminal actions of the settlers, supported or allowed by Israel as the occupying power, make the lives of these Palestinian families unbearable and are clearly aimed at forcing them to leave their homes and abandon their land,” the statement says. “The time for these three families is running out: they will soon be forcibly displaced.”
Nowhere to run
After the initial statement was published, the head of the OHCHR office in the occupied Palestinian territory, Ajit Sangayya, clarified in an interview with the UN News Service that the families were relocated from three houses into one. It is surrounded by Israeli settlers.
“The Israel Defense Forces either cannot or do not want to protect Palestinian communities, which they are obliged to do according to the Geneva Conventions. Or worse, they act in collusion with settlers, aiming to displace Palestinians and take over their lands,” Sangay said.
He noted that previously about 20 Palestinian families from Kusra had been evacuated by Israeli military “for security reasons,” and emphasized the need for international support to resolve the situation: “We welcome statements, we welcome dialogue… But that is simply not enough. We have already passed the boiling point. We are witnessing an unprecedented level of violence from settlers and urge states to use their influence by all possible means.”
© Adobe Stock/Voddol Construction site of an Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
The UNHCR statement says that the residents of Kusra have been subjected to increasingly frequent attacks since November 2025, when a new settlement outpost was established nearby. Previous requests by Palestinian families to intervene in the situation, addressed to the Israeli military, have yielded no results.
“On the contrary, Israeli security forces apparently blocked access for medics, activists, and journalists to these families,” the UNHCHR stated, adding that although soldiers dismantled settlers’ tents on Wednesday, they continue to surround Palestinian homes.
The entire West Bank is engulfed in escalation
Sangay noted that the dramatic events in Qusra are unfolding alongside other highly disturbing incidents caused by settlers’ actions in the occupied West Bank. Among them is the Israeli command’s decision to block entry to the city of Taybeh for anyone not residing there — supposedly to protect local residents from settler attacks.
The latest data from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) shows that violence by settlers is targeting Palestinian communities across the West Bank.
“At the same time, the expansion of settlements, including the creation of several new outposts, continues,” noted BAPOR.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of information. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.