RAMALLAH / Husni Nedim / Anadolu

Israeli settlers torched two homes and a mosque in the village of al-Tuwani in the Hebron governorate in the southern occupied West Bank early Sunday, while four Palestinians were injured in another attack in the town of Beita in the Nablus governorate in the northern West Bank.

The settler attacks coincided with raids, arrests, and road closures carried out by the Israeli army in the Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, Ramallah, and Bethlehem governorates.

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said in a statement that 'groups of settlers set fire to the mosque in al-Tuwani village in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron last night (Saturday-Sunday), causing severe damage to the mosque and its contents.'

It added, quoting local sources, that the settlers stormed the village and used flammable materials to burn the mosque, before residents and civil defense crews rushed to extinguish the fire.

The ministry stated that 'clashes broke out during the firefighting with Israeli army forces, which provided protection for the settlers.'

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted the head of al-Tuwani village council, Muhammad Rabai, as saying that 'settlers from the Havat Maon outpost stormed the village and burned two homes belonging to the Rabai family and al-Tuwani mosque.'

Rabai added that the attack caused extensive damage to property, including the vandalism of private property including a vehicle, noting that the assault took place under the protection of the Israeli army.

The Ministry of Awqaf condemned the burning of the mosque, describing it as 'a complete terrorist act,' and considered it part of a policy aimed at displacing Palestinians from Masafer Yatta.

The ministry held the Israeli government responsible for 'this heinous crime and its dangerous consequences,' and said that international silence regarding settler attacks encourages their continuation.

It called on the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and international human rights institutions 'to urgently intervene and hold the occupation and its settlers accountable for these crimes,' and to provide protection for Palestinians and their Islamic and Christian holy sites.

In the Nablus governorate in the northern West Bank, four Palestinians were injured with bruises in an attack carried out by settlers on the 'al-Dhahra' area in Beita town, according to local sources for Anadolu.

The sources said the settlers assaulted Palestinians and attacked their homes and property in the area.

In the same governorate, the Israeli army closed the western secondary entrance to the village of Burqa northwest of Nablus with earth mounds, after raiding homes and subjecting Palestinians to field investigations.

As a result, all western entrances to the village are now closed, according to local sources.

In the Jenin governorate, the Israeli army arrested two young men, Bilal Abu Zeid, a former prisoner, and Ahmed Abu Judeh, after raiding and searching their homes in the town of Qabatiya.

The army also arrested three young men from the village of al-Mughayyir east of Ramallah after storming their homes, while settlers released their sheep on Palestinian lands east of the village of Rammun, according to local sources and eyewitnesses for Anadolu.

In the Bethlehem governorate, eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli army arrested a young man from the town of al-Khader south of the governorate, after raiding and searching his family home.

Since the start of Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the army and settlers have intensified their attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

These attacks have resulted in the killing of 1,181 Palestinians and the injury of about 13,000, in addition to the arrest of nearly 24,000, according to official Palestinian data.