The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs accused Israeli settlers of attempting to set fire to the Nur al-Din Zanki Mosque in Bazzaryah, near Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank early on Tuesday, June 4, 2026. The ministry described the incident as a “criminal attack.” The Israeli military has not commented on the allegation, and independent verification of the details was not immediately possible.

Incident details and official responses

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs, a group of settlers tried to ignite parts of the mosque at approximately 2:45 a.m. The ministry stated that images and video from the scene showed blackened burn marks around a window and threatening messages in Hebrew on the mosque’s exterior walls. Majed Nasr, identified by the ministry as a local resident and eyewitness, said the attack resulted in a small explosion and fire inside the mosque. The fire was contained before it could spread further, and the alleged perpetrators fled the scene.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the incident. The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs reported that since the beginning of 2026, 13 mosques in the occupied West Bank have been “violated” by either the Israeli military or settlers. Israeli authorities have not confirmed these figures, and no independent verification was available at the time of publication.

Escalating tensions and warnings

The Palestinian presidency issued a statement warning of the “dangers of the continued and escalating religious war” by the Israeli military and settlers against religious sites, including the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem. The presidency emphasized that these “systematic attacks” risk triggering a religious conflict with serious regional and global consequences.

An Israeli police spokesperson, contacted by phone, said the force was “reviewing reports of the incident in Bazzaryah” but declined to provide further details. No official statement disputing or confirming the Palestinian account was issued by Israeli authorities as of Wednesday afternoon.

Context and third-party perspectives

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has been a persistent issue, with incidents often occurring with little legal consequence, according to Palestinian officials and international observers such as Human Rights Watch. Israeli officials have previously stated that attacks on religious sites are investigated and prosecuted when evidence is available, but rights groups have criticized the rate of prosecution.

More than 500,000 Israelis reside in settlements within the occupied West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law, alongside approximately three million Palestinians. On Tuesday, Israeli police announced the arrest of eight individuals, aged 16 to 20, suspected of involvement in “arson attacks and assaults in southern Hebron,” located in the southern West Bank. The police did not specify whether these arrests were connected to the Bazzaryah incident.

Independent verification of the details of the attack was not immediately possible. The situation remains tense, with both Palestinian and Israeli authorities providing differing accounts of recent incidents in the occupied West Bank. International observers have called for restraint and thorough investigations into all alleged attacks on religious sites.

Photo: Ahmad Gharabli / AFP.

Caption: The Nur al-Din Zanki Mosque in Bazzaryah, near Nablus, photographed on June 4, 2026, after an alleged arson attempt reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs. Israeli authorities have not confirmed the incident. Photo: Ahmad Gharabli / AFP.