NABLUS: Israeli settlers continued besieging three Palestinian homes in Qusra, south of Nablus, for the 15th consecutive day on Sunday, under the protection of Israeli forces.
In the Ras Al-Ain area of Qusra, settlers kept surrounding the three homes while Israeli forces barred residents from entering or leaving the area.
The three families face water shortages, as settlers have blocked the roads leading to their homes and prevented water deliveries.
BACKGROUND
The settlers cut electricity to Palestinian homes and attacked municipal workers who had tried to restore services earlier.
Israeli forces also turned one of the homes into a military outpost and damaged its furniture and belongings after throwing them out of the windows.
The siege follows weeks of escalating pressure on the families.
Before it began, settlers had set up a tent near one home, blocked access to it, and prevented food and other essential supplies from reaching the residents.
They also cut electricity to the homes and attacked municipal workers who had tried to restore services earlier.
The families have been living in the homes around the clock in shifts to protect them after settlers repeatedly tried over several months to enter and seize the properties.
After these actions, Israeli forces closed roads leading to the Ras al-Ain area and declared it a closed military zone.
Meanwhile, settlers installed two additional mobile homes in the village of Burin, south of Nablus.
Local sources reported that settlers raided the Khallet Sewar area, south of Burin, and installed two more mobile homes there.
Earlier, the settlers had established an outpost in the area and installed several mobile homes there.
Burin and neighboring villages south of Nablus have faced repeated attacks and land seizures by Israeli settlers, including unauthorized outposts and restrictions on Palestinians' access to agricultural lands.
The expansion of such outposts is often accompanied by mobile homes, fencing, and access roads, gradually creating permanent facts on the ground and increasing pressure on nearby Palestinian communities.
