Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank and damaged the building’s exterior wall, Palestinian officials said Thursday.
The incident came a day after Israel’s government and military issued a rare rebuke to Israeli settlers’ violence amid a recent increase in attacks against Palestinians in the region.
What do we know about the mosque that was vandalized?
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry, which is based in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, said Israeli settlers had set fire to the Hazza Hamida mosque near the city of Deir Istiya overnight.
“This clearly violates the sanctity of places of worship and reflects the deep racism that resides under the protection of the occupation government,” the ministry said on Thursday.
Photographs from the scene showed the mosque’s interior walls blackened with smoke as well as several burnt copies of the Quran.
Graffiti was left on the outer wall of the mosque. In Hebrew these words include “We are not afraid,” “We will take revenge again” and “Continue to blaspheme.”
The messages appear to disregard Israeli officials’ condemnation of the violence in the West Bank by Israeli residents.
What do we know about recent settler violence in the West Bank?
The attack on the mosque is the latest in a series of violent incidents by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
On Tuesday, dozens of settlers set fire to vehicles and other property in the Palestinian villages of Beit Lied and Deir Sharaf.
According to the Israeli military, the settlers fled to a nearby industrial area and attacked Israeli soldiers sent in response to the violence.
Four Israelis were arrested, Israeli officials said, while four Palestinians were injured.
How have Israeli officials responded to the violence?
The attacks have drawn rare condemnation from Israeli leaders.
President Isaac Herzog “strongly condemned” the attacks, carried out by a “handful” of criminals, calling them “shocking and serious”.
In the post on X, Herzog urged Israeli authorities to “act decisively to end this incident.”
In a separate statement, Israeli Army Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said he “strongly condemns” the incidents in which “Israeli civilians attacked Palestinians and Israelis.”
“These acts are contrary to our values, cross a red line and distract our troops from their mission,” he said, adding that Israeli authorities are “determined to stop this incident and will act decisively until justice is served.”
Concerns were also expressed by the White House, which played a central role in the recent agreement that resulted in a ceasefire in Gaza.
At a news conference on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration was “concerned about incidents in the West Bank spilling over and creating a spillover effect that could undermine what we are doing in Gaza.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government includes far-right and nationalist ministers who have openly called for the annexation of the entire West Bank, has not yet commented on the recent violence.
History of settler violence in the West Bank
More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. All settlements are illegal under international law.
Violence has increased across the region since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 1,000 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed in clashes with Israeli settlers or military forces since the war began.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Said that Israeli settlers carried out at least 264 attacks on Palestinians and Palestinian property during October 2025Saying that the past month was the worst for settler violence since the United Nations began recording the incident in 2006.
According to Israeli data, 43 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank.
Perpetrators of settler violence are rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico