According to reports from international news agencies, a group of Israeli settlers set ablaze the entrance of the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque in the village of Tal, southern Nablus, leading to considerable material damage to the door and the mosque’s facade.
Eyewitnesses stated that flames engulfed the entrance, but local residents managed to extinguish the fire before it spread inside the mosque. They also reported that settlers had scrawled provocative and racist slogans on the walls of the mosque and its surroundings.Villagers emphasized that this attack has sparked a wave of anger and condemnation among the community, especially as concerns grow over the recurrence of assaults on religious sites and private property in the region.
This incident is part of a disturbing trend of increasing settler violence in southern Nablus villages, which includes arson and the defacement of property with racist graffiti.The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs condemned the attempt to set fire to the mosque stating that “settler groups under the protection of the occupiers have attacked 45 mosques over the past year.” Concurrently Israeli military operations in various areas of the West Bank continue resulting in casualties among Palestinians.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported on February 6 2023 that since the outbreak of conflict on October 7 2023 until February 5 2026 the number of Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank and Jerusalem has reached 1054 caused by the Israeli military and settlers.
