RAMALLAH: The Israeli army has seized 16 Palestinian homes in and around Qusra in the northern occupied West Bank and converted them into military posts, a local official said Thursday (Aug 13), Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
Abdul Azim al-Wadi, head of the Qusra village council, told Anadolu that the army was continuing its military offensive in the town, south of Nablus, and had informed the council that it would last until Sunday (Aug 16) morning.
Large Israeli forces, accompanied by infantry troops, military vehicles, and bulldozers, entered Qusra and deployed across the town and its outskirts, he said.
Al-Wadi said the Israeli army told the council it was seeking to dismantle an illegal outpost established by occupiers near the town amid escalating tensions in the area.
He said three Palestinian families, including one with US citizenship, remained trapped inside their homes for a 4th consecutive day.
An Anadolu correspondent saw Israeli troops stationed inside several homes, while some families left their houses to stay with relatives.
Since last Sunday (Aug 9), Israeli occupiers have erected a tent and temporary structures among Palestinian homes in the Ras al-Ain area on the outskirts of Qusra, according to the Palestinian Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission.
The occupiers also blocked roads leading to the area with rocks and surrounded three homes, the commission said.
It warned that the attacks could develop into a prolonged siege intended to isolate the families and force them from their homes.
The occupiers have obstructed the delivery of food, water, and medicine to the homes, while water and electricity lines have also been cut, it added.
Earlier Thursday, large Israeli forces raided Qusra, imposed a curfew, and ordered businesses to close amid a widespread deployment of infantry troops, military vehicles, and bulldozers.
The developments come amid escalating occupier attacks in the area and Palestinian concerns that attempts to establish the outpost could become permanent and lead to the seizure of Palestinian homes and land.
The commission said occupiers had attempted eight times to establish an outpost in the Jabal Ras al-Ain area, citing its strategic location on high ground overlooking a large area.
Attempts to raid and seize the homes began about four months ago, prompting family members to take turns staying in them to prevent their takeover, it added.
The commission warned of a repeat of events in the nearby village of Jalud, where it said occupiers seized a home belonging to Mahmoud al-Tubasi's family on July 22 after besieging it for more than three months.
According to the commission's latest figures, occupiers carried out 12,506 attacks from October 2023 through June 2026, killing 52 Palestinians and setting 890 fires that damaged Palestinian property and farmland.
It also documented 2,256 attacks across the occupied West Bank in July, including 1,458 by Israeli forces and 798 by occupiers. — Bernama-Anadolu
