Palestinian witnesses say Israeli forces and settlers have attacked mosques in the occupied West Bank, including a tear-gas assault during evening prayers in Madama village near Nablus and an arson attack in nearby Bazariya.
The incidents have deepened fear among worshippers and families, while Palestinian officials and the United Nations report wider violence, displacement and damage to religious sites across the territory.
Tear gas during prayers in Madama
Naim Ahmed Faraj, 66, was standing with dozens of worshippers for Isha prayers when Israeli forces threw tear-gas canisters inside the mosque in Madama. His son, Mohammed Naim, said Faraj—who has joint and heart ailments—collapsed and became semiconscious after inhaling the gas.
Mohammed Naim said his father was taken home in a car because no ambulance was available and gradually regained consciousness. He described raids during prayer hours as a recurring source of panic and said soldiers and settlers regularly work together to terrorise residents. Madama, he added, is surrounded by settlements, a bypass road and the army, leaving the village with no outlet. For additional context, see “What makes Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank a pogrom?”.
Key figures
- At least 13 mosques have been vandalised or burned since the start of the year, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs.
- The United Nations recorded more than 1,450 settler attacks, about 1,040 injuries and 3,800 displaced Palestinians in the territory this year.
- At least 76 Palestinians, including 18 children, have been killed in the territory this year, according to the United Nations.
- The ministry recorded 26 incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and 155 bans on the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in its August report.
A mosque fire and threats in Bazariya
Hours after the Madama incident, settlers attacked the Imad al-Din Zanki mosque in Bazariya. Taysir Safarini, the former head of the village council, said attackers poured flammable liquid on the building’s ground floor and set it alight.
Neighbours alerted civil defence crews in Anabta and tried to contain the flames. Hebrew graffiti on the walls included threats to kill Arabs and a message directed at Mike Huckabee, the United States ambassador to Israel, who has voiced support for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and recently called settlers terrorists.
Officials warn of wider religious tensions
The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the violations could trigger a catastrophic religious war. The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs called the targeting of mosques a violation of international law and documented attacks on religious sites beyond the two villages. A related part of this story is covered in “Fire near Ein Siniya factory adds to West Bank economic attacks”.
The violence has also affected daily family decisions. Mohammed Naim said he keeps his son at home and tells him not to go out because of the incursions, including to the mosque.
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