Israeli and foreign activists approached a Palestinian home in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra on Friday (August 14) to deliver food and water to the home owners, after settlers trapped Palestinian families this week in a siege that Palestinians say is aimed at forcing them from their land.

"And the army stopped us and showed us what’s called a closed military order, which is a very common thing that the army does to prevent certain people who don’t belong to the community from entering the lands," said Israeli-American activist from Rabbis for Human rights, Ezra Brownstein.

Reuters footage showed several Israeli soldiers standing outside one of the homes, preventing the activists from reaching the house. Activists left their supplies near the gate of the residences.

The siege began at the weekend when Jewish settlers closed off the road to the three homes in the Palestinian village of Qusra and set up a tent in their front yards, refusing to allow anyone to enter or leave. The settlers had earlier cut off their electricity and water.

By Thursday (August 13) evening, Israeli troops were still holding positions in three Qusra homes, according to the mayor, Abed Al Athem Wadi.

Ibrahim Hassan whose house is outskirts of village and face ongoing Israeli settlers attacks, said settlers destroyed furniture and damaged the property and he was forced to flee the house a month ago.

“The last time, they broke the windows and took the door. No one stood by me. So I was forced to take my children and rent a house elsewhere. But I come here every day, alone or with another man,” he said.

In a statement, the military said that soldiers had been deployed in Qusra since Thursday morning to protect residents and maintain security, and "were instructed that the Qusra residents will remain in their homes."

The United Nations said in a statement that some 15 Palestinians including two children were trapped inside their homes with no water or electricity.

The two families under siege in the area say they are running low on supplies and that the settlers have been damaging their property, throwing stones at their homes and shouting insulting language at them.

Palestinians say Israeli authorities allow settlers to seize land and resources across the West Bank with impunity, including in areas where they hold Israel-issued ownership documents.

Incidents of settler land seizures are especially common in areas on the outskirts of villages, like Qusra, which sits in an area under complete Israeli security control.

The West Bank, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war, is home to some three million ⁠Palestinians and 500,000 settlers. There are some 146 settlements in the West Bank, as well as 390 smaller outposts, according to the Israeli settlement watchdog group Peace Now.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Israeli activists approach Palestinian house seized by settlers in West Bank

VIDEO SHOWS: ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS APPROACHING SEIZED PALESTINIAN HOUSE BY ISRAELI SETTLERS/ INTERVIEWS WITH RESIDENTS AND ACTIVISTS

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: QUSRA, WEST BANK (AUGUST 14, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. ISRAELI, PALESTINIAN AND FOREIGN ACTIVISTS ARRIVING AT BESIEGED HOUSE, ISRAELI ARMY VEHICLES OUTSIDE HOUSE

2. ACTIVISTS OUTSIDE HOUSE, ISRAELI SOLDIER SEEN

3. PALESTINIANS ON ROOF OF BESIEGED HOUSE, ISRAELI ARMY VEHICLES OUTSIDE

4. ACTIVISTS AND ISRAELI ARMY NEAR HOUSE, MAN WAVING PALESTINIAN FLAG

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI-AMERICAN ACTIVIST FROM RABBIS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, EZRA BROWNSTEIN, SAYING:

“We actually were able to get right up to the gate. We were greeted by the army, who is watching over this area. And the army stopped us and showed us what’s called a closed military order, which is a very common thing that the army does to prevent certain people who don’t belong to the community from entering the lands. Now, mind you, this closed military zone order also applies to settlers because settlers are not permanent residents of the area. But of course, we see that the settler outpost is still intact and the settlers are still here. We knew that they were about a few hundred metres down there currently. And so the army has now forced us to leave after we were able to leave the food and the water that we have brought at the front of the door. And they’re going to supposedly check them to make sure that there’s nothing suspicious and hopefully let the food and the water in.”

6. ACTIVISTS WALKING AWAY FROM HOUSE AFTER BEING ORDERED TO LEAVE BY ISRAELI ARMY

7. BROWNSTEIN WALKING AWAY FROM HOUSE

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI-AMERICAN ACTIVIST FROM RABBIS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, EZRA BROWNSTEIN, SAYING:

“The army was supposed to be dismantling this outpost and removing these settlers who are in Area B, setting up an outpost illegally. This is not. Nothing about this is legal. And there is immense pressure from the international community, even from the U.S., to take care of the issue. And the army is refusing to take care of the issue. And I’m not the only one saying this. The army itself is saying this.”

9. BESIEGED HOUSE

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI-AMERICAN ACTIVIST FROM RABBIS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, EZRA BROWNSTEIN, SAYING:

“(This is) a new strategy that we’ve seen used more commonly. We saw it a few weeks ago in Jalud, where they are very provocatively going and literally taking over houses and taking over residences, that are already built on the outskirts of towns in Area B, and expelling the families from there and taking over the house. This is completely connected to the current campaign of essentially ethnic cleansing that is going on, and promoted by settlers and also by the powers that be in the halls of government in Israel.”

11. ACTIVISTS AND ISRAELI ARMY NEAR HOUSE

12. ACTIVISTS AT SITE

13. ISRAELI SOLDIER CALLING ON ACTIVISTS TO MOVE AWAY FROM AREA

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTING DIRECTOR OF RABBIS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, ANTON GOODMAN, SAYING:

“So we came with a larger quantity of supplies in aid of water and basic needs. And as we approached the house, a large contingent of the army stopped us and presented us with the closed military zones (order). Now, this isn’t the first time we’re seeing these closed military zones that are being enforced on large areas of land or residential (areas) inside Area B and are being used in quite discriminatory ways. There are settlers who are going against this military zones who are being left alone. But the minute when you have activists, rights defenders or other Palestinians coming in on the street, when forced into the zone, they push us out.”

15. ISRAELI ARMY VEHICLES IN AREA/ ACTIVISTS WALKING

16. ACTIVISTS WALKING OUTSIDE HOUSE

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF QUSRA, LUAY BAYRUDI, SAYING:

“I have a house here that I can’t reach. When the settlers see us approaching our house, they come towards us in their vehicles and prevent us from reaching our homes. These incidents started in January. Now they are trying to bring their sheep and come between the houses. There is a small house on top of the hill; they use it as a watchtower. They come down and beat people who approach the house.”

18. PALESTINIAN HOUSE DAMAGED BY ISRAELI SETTLERS, AND OWNERS FORCED TO FLEE

19. RESIDENT OF QUSRA AND OWNER OF ONE OF THE HOUSES ATTACKED BY SETTLERS, IBRAHIM HASSAN, SHOWING DAMAGE INSIDE HOUSE

20. ITEMS LYING ON FLOOR

21. DAMAGE IN BATHROOM

22. MAN HOLDING FLAG, CHECKING DAMAGE INSIDE HOUSE

23. DAMAGE INSIDE HOUSE

24. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF QUSRA AND OWNER OF ONE OF THE HOUSES ATTACKED BY SETTLERS, IBRAHIM HASSAN, SAYING:

“As you can see here, the settlers and the army raided my house. They beat me and damaged the house. They put my wife and children inside this room. They destroyed the house, broke the lights and damaged things inside. They started raiding my house on a daily basis. The last time, they broke the windows and took the door. No one stood by me. So I was forced to take my children and rent a house elsewhere. But I come here every day, alone or with another man.”

25. VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS NEAR SEIZED HOUSE

26. SEIZED HOUSE

27. VARIOUS OF ISRAELI ARMY VEHICLES NEAR HOUSE