Settler fire attacks damage 11 mosques in West Bank in 2026

Israeli settlers have stepped up attacks in the occupied West Bank targeting mosques, after setting fire early on Tuesday to part of the Imad al-Din Zengi Mosque in the village of Bazariya, north-west of Nablus.

Local sources said the settlers set fire to a room belonging to the mosque after failing to break into it and burn it down completely. They also spray-painted racist slogans on its walls.

The attack brings the total number of mosques subjected to arson or attempted arson since the start of 2026 to at least eleven.

The attacks began on 23 February, when parts of the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque in the town of Tell, west of Nablus, were set on fire. This was followed by an attack on the Muhammad Fayyad Mosque in Duma, south of Nablus, on 12 March, and an attack on the mosque in the village of Jibiya, north-west of Ramallah, on 15 May.

READ: Gaza Media Office: Israel has killed 21,500 children, targeted 1,244 mosques since October 2023

In June, the Al-Marah Mosque in Deir Dibwan and Al-Nour Mosque in Burqa, east of Ramallah, were targeted in arson attempts. On 17 June, the Grand Mosque in Jiljilya and Al-Farouq Mosque in Nubani Farms, north of Ramallah, were also targeted.

In July, settlers targeted Al-Taqwa Mosque in al-Tuwane in Masafer Yatta, followed by Al-Rahma Mosque in Qusra, south of Nablus, as well as a mosque in the village of Kur, south of Tulkarm.

The attacks come amid an escalation in settler violence against Palestinian villages and residents’ property, with calls for protection of religious sites and accountability for those responsible for the violations.

READ: Israeli occupiers attempt to set fire to mosque in northern West Bank