Newz‘We are starving’: Palestinians besieged by settlers in West Bank homes run out of food Submitted by Fayha Shalash on Thu, 08/20/2026 - 14:04 Around 15 people, including children, are trapped in Qusra as Israel restricts food and settlers maintain siege for 12th day Ruqaya Hassan and her daughters watch from the houses they are trapped in by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank town of Qusra, on 18 August 2026 (Ammar Awad/Reuters) Off Palestinians trapped in their homes by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank town of Qusra are running out of food as the siege enters its 12th day. Aisha Hassan, who is sheltering in one of three surrounded homes south of Nablus with her mother and brother, said they were “starving”. Israeli soldiers arrived last week, ostensibly to remove the settlers, but have since effectively contributed to the siege by blocking food deliveries to the families.
“The municipal council tried to bring us food, but the soldiers prevented them, and the food was left outside,” Hassan told Middle East Eye. “Unicef staff were able to deliver some food to us a few days ago, and now it’s starting to spoil.” (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Abdul-Azim Wadi, Qusra’s mayor, said he was in constant contact with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) to arrange food deliveries. Still, the Israeli army had not approved access.
He accused the army of deliberately obstructing deliveries and using various pretexts to delay them. Even food delivered by Unicef was initially refused entry. The boxes were left outside for 24 hours before soldiers allowed the families to collect them, by which time some had spoiled, Wadi said.
“We, as a municipality, are still trying to coordinate with various parties to deliver food to the families, but we are facing significant restrictions and are prohibited from reaching those homes,” he told MEE. Wadi said he had also arranged to enter one of the other houses, owned by Palestinian-American Luay Abu Rida, but the Israeli army commander refused him entry and turned him back, allowing only journalists to enter. But after it became a frequent target of settler attacks in rece…
Palestinian-American Loui Ridi and his relatives walk around his home in Qusra, south of Nablus in the West Bank, which was surrounded by Israeli settlers for more than a week. (EPA Images pic)JERUSALEM: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has warned militant Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank not to steal property owned by Palestinian Americans, describing such behavior as "a violation of God's law".Huckabee, a Baptist minister and longtime supporter of Israel's settlements, told Reuters in an interview that settlers found to have taken part in a siege of homes in the West Bank village of Qusra, including one belonging to Palestinian American Loui Ridi, could be punished with US sanctions.Israeli settlers began encircling homes in Qusra on Aug 9, in what rights groups said was an attempt to seize privately owned Palestinian land. The case has drawn international condemnation.Israel's military has deployed dozens of troops to the area and has since pushed the settlers back from the homes.
But they remain nearby and residents including Ridi say they fear the settlers will encroach on their properties again once those troops pull back.Asked what message US President Donald Trump's administration had for settlers considering taking homes or land in the West Bank owned by Palestinian Americans, Huckabee, who last week denounced the perpetrators as "Israeli terrorists", referred to Jewish and Christian scripture."I think the message is bigger than just even the Trump administration. It's a message of basic civility and civilized behavior," Huckabee told Reuters in Jerusalem."You don't take something that doesn't belong to you."‘Thou shalt not steal’, Huckabee tells settlersUS officials have estimated that tens of thousands of Palestinian Americans live in the West Bank, many of them in a cluster of villages between Ramallah and Nablus, where Qusra lies.Ridi, speaking to Reuters from his home in Qusra on Thursday, said he was in contact with Huckabee's staff at the US embassy in Jerusalem but that he continued to be harassed by Israeli settlers near his property.Citing the Ten Commandments, Huckabee said: "Thou shalt not steal" and that people should neither take nor "covet" - or "desire" - what belongs to others."If someone owns the land and they own their house, then having someone come and take it over and scare the family away from it, that's a vio…
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