QUSRA, ISRAELI OCCUPIED WEST BANK, 12 Sept. - (ANA) - The lives of residents of the occupied West Bank village of Qusra remain upended one month after Israeli settlers began a siege on the area, locals have told The New Arab.

 

Despite the enactment of a closed military zone in the village, south of Nablus, that was meant to remove the settlers and their outposts, settlers continue to roam the area. The Israeli army's actions have also heavily restricted the movement of the village's besieged Palestinian residents.

 

Yousef Hassan, whose house was the first to come under settler siege on 9 August, told The New Arab that the area remains unsafe, saying that “unfortunately, after a month of siege, the settlers are still present".

 

"They [the settlers] have not been removed or even arrested, and the army is still there but has done nothing about them," he added.

 

Only a handful of settlers have been arrested by the Israeli army since the start of the siege, despite the illegality of outposts under Israeli law, continued harassment and attacks which, at the end of August, saw settlers storm a building under construction.

 

Hassan's family, which includes two small children, were forcibly displaced from their homes when the Israeli army occupied their home following the announced closed military zone in the village.

 

"The soldiers left the house 14 days ago, and I returned home and found the house completely destroyed inside," Hassan said, adding that furniture had been broken, clothes were thrown in the rubbish, and some belongings had been stolen.

 

Though the family has regained access to the property, the situation in Qusra remains tense and is yet to return to normality.

 

"We are dealing with these circumstances with all the strength we have, despite the Israeli measures and the army's restrictions on us, which prevent us from moving around."

 

As a result, his eldest child is unable to start school, with the new academic term having begun across the occupied West Bank this month.

 

“We, along with the residents of the village, our neighbours and friends, all feel uncomfortable and distressed by what is happening," Hassan said.

 

“Everyone hopes that this situation will be brought to an end as soon as possible. We want things to return to normal.”

 

The desire to return to normality was echoed by Hassan’s sister Aisha, who said their lives had been "turned completely upside down".

 

She told The New Arab that the army's presence has become permanent and, alongside the continued settler presence, has affected the movements of Qusra's residents.

 

“All aspects of our lives have come to a standstill. My siblings and I have stopped working,” she said, adding, “As for residents of the town, they feel helpless because there is nothing they can do except pray.”

 

The situation in Qusra is emblematic of escalating settler violence across the occupied West Bank since October 2023, the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza. The violence has been branded "settler terrorism", and global outrage has forced allies of Israel to take action on the matter.

 

On Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, in speech in which he condemned the "ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists".

 

Rohan Talbot, Medical Aid for Palestinian's Director of Advocacy and Campaigns, told The New Arab that the ongoing situation in Qusra was an example of why the UK's sanctions commitments must be enforced with speed.

 

"One month into the ongoing siege of families in Qusra, the horrific reality for Palestinians remains the same," Talbot said, adding "the situation in Qusra demonstrates why the UK's latest commitments to upholding and enforcing international law must be implemented rapidly and comprehensively."

 

Even if the settlers are permanently removed from the area and the army leaves, Aisha said that it will take time for the residents of Qusra to feel safe again.

 

“It is true that I am optimistic that life will return to normal, but sometimes, when I see the current circumstances, I feel that things could get worse because of the presence of the settlers," she told The New Arab, adding "At other times, I tell myself that perhaps our lives will return to normal."

 

"That is what we all hope for.”   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/12 September 2026 - -