American volunteer Vivi Chen after being hit in the face with a stone
The attack began at around 5PM local time, when members of the settler mob opened fire with live ammunition at the residents of Qusra and international activists at the outskirts of the village shortly after arriving there, critically injuring a 19 year-old Palestinian. The settlers were followed by Israeli soldiers, who did not attempt to prevent the attack from occurring, but rather allowed the settlers to continue throwing stones and attacking the Palestinian civilians and international activists, two of which suffered light head injuries. American solidarity activists were also assaulted with stones and shot at despite making their international identities known to soldiers.
Israeli soldiers stormed deeper into the village, shooting tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and live ammunition. During the attack, scores of residents were injured by rubber-coated bullets and four more residents of the village were hit with live ammunition, including a 12 year-old Palestinian boy shot in both legs by a single bullet from an M16 rifle. Two more were shot in the legs and another in the arm, in addition to the 19 year-old shot in the back by settlers.
12 year-old boy at the hospital in Nablus after being shot in both legs
The settlers remained at the outskirts of the village, besieging one of the houses, causing damage to the property, threatening the residents, and setting fires in the gardens of four houses. No arrests were made by Israeli security forces, in a continued pattern of impunity and a lack of accountability for violence perpetrated against Palestinians.
The ambulance carrying one of the wounded men was delayed by soldiers at an IDF checkpoint at the entrance to the city of Nablus, delaying his care at the hospital. Soldiers also delayed the ambulance carrying American activist Amado Sison earlier this month as he was being transferred after being shot in the back of his leg by a member of the Israeli Defense Forces.
For more details:
Jonathan Pollak +972503010160, jonathan@defendpalestine.org
Vivi Chen +972525336780
Videos of the attack can be seen here, here, here and here. (Credit: Faz3a, defendpalestine.org)
Vivi Chen, a volunteer working with Faz3a, a group providing international civil protection, was at the scene of the attack today. She shared, "Israeli settlers shot a young man in the back in cold blood, beat an American citizen on the back of his head and threw stones at two others, hitting them in the forehead and hand, causing injury. The military did nothing to stop the attack and seemed interested only in attacking Palestinians and telling us to back up. When we asked the army for assistance in putting out one of the fires the settlers started, the military ignored us while one soldier blew us a kiss. The soldiers threw stun grenades that landed directly next to us as we were backing up with our hands in the air and shot at us as we continued to back away. Five residents suffered bullet wounds."
Background
The incident today and the ongoing violence in Qusra is part of a broader pattern of repression employed by the state of Israel. This attack happens as Palestinian refugee camps across the West Bank are raided by Israeli forces. Since August 28th, 22 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank. The escalation of violence also follows the ethnic cleansing of at least 18 Palestinian communities since October 7 alone, and the leaking of statements from Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, which outline a “dramatic” plan to impose permanent Israeli control over the West Bank and expand illegal settlements.
The village of Qusra, south of Nablus, has about 5,000 inhabitants. It is surrounded by the four illegal settlements of Esh Kodesh, Migdalim, Keida, and Ahiya. Since October, it has been the target of ongoing Israeli violence through dozens of settler attacks and military raids, often happening in tandem. Six of its residents were killed during similar settler attacks on October 11 and 12, 2023.
The nearby illegal Jewish-only settlement of Migdalim has become a center for violence. Approximately a year ago, settlers uprooted around 37 dunams of Palestinian olive groves north of the settlement, within the lands of Qusra village. In early December 2023, settlers placed four mobile structures in this area and established a new outpost to the north of the settlement on private Palestinian land. The new outpost is situated in the heart of agricultural lands belonging to Qusra village. Recently, settlers also cultivated around 25 dunams of private land from the Jorish village, east of the Migdalim settlement.
In late July, settlers from Esh Kodesh attacked international activists and Palestinian farmers in the village of Qusra with metal pipes, sticks and stones. Two Americans and a German national suffered injuries requiring hospitalization, and another American volunteer suffered more minor injuries. The attack took place as international solidarity activists were accompanying Palestinian farmers to their olive groves, which they haven’t been able to access since October 2023, because of attacks by Israeli settlers.
