Israeli settlers set fire to two West Bank mosques

Jul 26, 2026

Israeli settlers set fire to two West Bank mosques in Qusra and Kour overnight on July 25-26, 2026, leaving Hebrew graffiti calling for "revenge" for Benayahu Mellet. The attacks followed a July 24 clash in Tell that killed four Palestinians and two Israelis, including Mellet and Maj. Yuval Ezra. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a security crackdown, leading to the arrest of over 130 Palestinians and the sealing of suspects' homes for demolition.

Settler mosque arson attacks

▪Worshippers in the village of Kour extinguished the fire set at their mosque before it reached the main prayer area.
▪Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques in the West Bank villages of Qusra and Kour overnight between July 25 and July 26, 2026.
▪The Al-Rahma Mosque in Qusra, which was under construction and newly furnished, suffered extensive damage to its wooden materials and equipment in the arson attack.

Friday Tell village clash

▪The July 24, 2026, clash began when a group of Israeli settlers, some armed, entered the village of Tell without prior military coordination.
▪A confrontation in the West Bank village of Tell on July 24, 2026, resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and two Israelis.
▪The two Israelis killed in the July 24, 2026, clash were IDF officer Maj. Yuval Ezra and settler civilian security squad member Benayahu Mellet.

IDF home demolition orders

▪Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the demolition of the homes of the Palestinians involved in the Tell clash.
▪The Israel Defense Forces mapped the homes of two Palestinians involved in the July 24, 2026, Tell clash and sealed the home of the deceased shooter in preparation for demolition.

Benayahu Mellet revenge graffiti

▪Hebrew graffiti reading 'Jewish blood is not free' was spray-painted on the walls of the targeted mosque in the village of Kour.
▪Attackers spray-painted Hebrew graffiti reading 'Benayahu's Revenge' and 'Jewish revenge' on the walls of the damaged mosque in Qusra.

West Bank violence escalation

▪The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that Israeli settlers carried out over 1,000 attacks in the West Bank between January and June 2026.
▪The Israel Defense Forces arrested over 130 Palestinians during West Bank raids and security operations over the weekend of July 25-26, 2026.