{"id":13205,"date":"2026-02-23T19:51:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T19:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=13205"},"modified":"2026-02-23T19:51:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T19:51:51","slug":"israeli-settlers-deface-set-fire-to-west-bank-mosque-during-ramadan-israel-palestine-conflict-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=13205","title":{"rendered":"Israeli settlers deface, set fire to West Bank mosque during Ramadan | Israel-Palestine conflict News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Attack on Nablus-area mosque is latest in surge of Israeli settler and military violence targeting Palestinians.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">3 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Israeli settlers have defaced and set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, marking the latest incident in a wave of Israeli violence against Palestinians in the territory.<\/p>\n<p>The Wafa news agency reported on Monday that settlers graffitied racist slogans on the walls of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq Mosque, located between the towns of Sarra and Tal, near Nablus in the north of the West Bank.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Worshippers arriving for the day\u2019s first prayers found the damage and a smouldering fire that spewed black smoke across the mosque\u2019s entrance and stained the ornate doorway, The Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was shocked when I opened the door,\u201d Munir Ramdan, who lives nearby, told the news agency. \u201cThe fire had been burning here in the area, the glass was broken here and the door was broken.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramdan told AP that security camera footage showed two people walking towards the mosque carrying gasoline or petrol and a can of spray paint, and running away a few minutes later.<\/p>\n<p>The attackers spray-painted graffiti denigrating the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the words \u201crevenge\u201d and \u201cprice tag\u201d \u2013 a term used to describe attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4332455\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4332455\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4332455\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/afp_699c7f67b7d9-1771863911.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"A man inspects offensive Hebrew graffiti on the walls outside the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque in the village of Tell, west of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on February 23, 2026 following a reported attack by Israeli settlers.\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4332455\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A man inspects Hebrew graffiti on the walls outside the Abu Bakr as-Siddiq Mosque after the attack [AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The assault comes amid a wave of intensified Israeli settler and military violence across the West Bank in the shadow of Israel\u2019s genocidal war against Palestinians in the nearby Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n<p>At least 1,094 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023, according to the latest United Nations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ochaopt.org\/data\/casualties\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">figures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, the UN Human Rights Council warned in a new report (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/hrbodies\/hrcouncil\/sessions-regular\/session61\/advance-version\/a-hrc-61-26-auv-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PDF<\/a>) that Israeli policies in the West Bank \u2013 including \u201cthe systematic unlawful use of force by Israeli security forces\u201d and unlawful demolitions of Palestinian homes \u2013 aim to uproot Palestinian communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese violations, together with pervasive and growing settler violence committed with impunity, are fundamental to the coercive environment that induces forced displacement and forcible transfer, which is a war crime,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<p>It added that these policies are aimed at \u201caltering the character, status and demographic composition of the occupied West Bank, raising serious concerns of ethnic cleansing\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Back in the West Bank village of Tal on Monday, resident Salem Ishtayeh told AP that the Israeli settlers\u2019 assault on the local mosque was \u201cdirected especially\u201d at Palestinians who are fasting during Ramadan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo they like to provoke you with words. It\u2019s not that they are attacking you personally, they are attacking your religion, the Islamic faith,\u201d Ishtayeh said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4332461\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4332461\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4332461\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/reuters_699c7f79-1771863929.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C496&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"A Palestinian man, holding Misbaha prayer beads, inspects the debris at a mosque, which Palestinians say was damaged by Israeli settlers, in West Bank village of Surra, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 23, 2026. REUTERS\/Mohamad Torokman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4332461\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Palestinian man inspects the debris at the mosque that was attacked by Israeli settlers [Mohamad Torokman\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to the Palestinian Authority\u2019s Ministry of Religious Affairs, settlers vandalised or attacked 45 mosques in the West Bank last year.<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli military and police said they responded to the latest incident and were searching for suspects.<\/p>\n<p>But human rights groups say the Israeli authorities have allowed the settlers to operate with total impunity in their attacks against Palestinians.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli organisation B\u2019Tselem has accused Israel of actively aiding the settlers\u2019 violence \u201cas part of a strategy to cement the takeover of Palestinian land\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The UN also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/ohchr-israel-must-immediately-end-violence-policies-and-practices-against-palestinians-in-the-occupied-west-bank-en-ar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">warned last year<\/a> that settler attacks were being carried out \u201cwith the acquiescence, support, and in some cases participation, of Israeli security forces\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Attack on Nablus-area mosque is latest in surge of Israeli settler and military violence targeting Palestinians. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a03 mins info Israeli settlers have defaced and set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, marking the latest incident in a wave of Israeli violence against [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}