Israeli Settlers Damage and Burn Two Mosques in the West Bank of Palestine

JAKARTA - Israeli settlers have again vandalized two mosques in the occupied West Bank, Palestine.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Wednesday (17/6), Israeli settlers burned two mosques in Jaljulia and Mazra'a al-Nubani villages, north of Ramallah, West Bank Wednesday morning, and wrote racist and provocative slogans on the walls of one of the mosques.

Security sources reported that a group of settlers infiltrated Jaljulia and set fire to the Great Mosque, causing a fire and material damage, while racist and provocative slogans were sprayed on its walls.

The source added that local residents confronted the settlers as they tried to burn the mosque, while Israeli forces then stormed the town and fired tear gas and stun grenades, with reports of injuries.

Meanwhile, Anadolu reported that Israeli settlers burned a women's prayer hall in a mosque in the village of Jiljilya, central West Bank, occupied Palestine on Wednesday morning, scrawling its walls with Hebrew slogans using spray paint.

Local sources told Anadolu that a group of Israeli settlers raided the village at dawn and set fire to the mosque.

"The fire destroyed the entire area of the women's prayer and also damaged the outside of the mosque," the source said.

Jiljilya has recently witnessed an increase in occupation attacks, they said.

Last month, Israeli settlers attacked the village and stole a flock of sheep.

In a similar incident, settlers broke into the al-Farouq Mosque in Mazra'a al-Nubani and set it on fire, causing damage to the building and its contents.

The occupied West Bank has witnessed an increase in attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers against Palestinians and their property, including arson, land confiscation, and preventing farmers' access to their land, especially in areas near settlements and outposts.

Since October 8, 2023, Israel's escalation in the West Bank has killed 1,169 Palestinians and injured 12,666 others, while some 23,000 people have been arrested and 33,000 people have been displaced, according to official Palestinian figures.