Overview
- Villagers in Deir Istiya reported settlers smashed windows, burned Qurans and scrawled anti-Palestinian graffiti at Hajja Hamida Mosque, with Reuters video showing charred walls, broken glass and a burnt Koran.
- Israel’s military said forces reached the site after reports, condemned the violence and handed the case to police, but no suspects have been identified or arrested.
- President Isaac Herzog and senior commanders issued unusually sharp denunciations of settler attacks, with IDF Chief Eyal Zamir calling them a red line and Central Command’s Avi Bluth seeking expanded legal tools, according to Israeli media.
- The United Nations labeled the assault on a place of worship unacceptable, while Germany, Switzerland and Jordan urged thorough investigations and accountability.
- UN OCHA recorded at least 264 settler incidents in October, the highest monthly total since 2006, and rights data show prosecutions are rare, as villages near Nablus also faced arson and vandalism earlier in the week.