Israeli forces, settlers attack two West Bank mosques

Israeli forces have fired tear gas into a mosque in the occupied West Bank, leaving worshippers inside struggling to breathe, hours after settlers tried to set fire to a second mosque in the territory.

Key points

• Last month, Huckabee had described Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians in the town of Qusra and other areas of the occupied West Bank as "terrorists".
• Photos and videos from Nur al-Din Zanki Mosque indicated blackened burn marks around a window of a room and Hebrew phrases sprayed on the exterior walls.
• The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs condemned the continued pogroms on Tuesday, calling them a flagrant violation of the sanctity of places of worship.
• Footage, verified by Al Jazeera, indicated worshippers at the mosque in Madama, near Nablus, coughing in the aftermath of the tear gas attack.
• The attack in Madama came hours after Israeli settlers tried to set fire to another mosque in the nearby town of Bazariya.

In practice, the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs condemned the continued pogroms on Tuesday, calling them a flagrant violation of the sanctity of places of worship.

One elderly man was seen bent over as another tried to support him.

Notably, the ministry remarked Israeli forces "fired tear gas canisters" into the mosque as residents gathered for their evening prayers. The attack "resulted in several elderly worshippers suffering from suffocation and caused widespread disruption to the congregation", it continued.

For context, the attack in Madama came hours after Israeli settlers tried to set fire to another mosque in the nearby town of Bazariya.

Majed Nasr, who lives near the mosque, remarked the attack took place early on Tuesday morning. "There was a small explosion that caused a fire inside the mosque building, " he informed the AFP news agency. "We managed to contain the blaze before things could get worse and reach the main upper part of the building."

For context, the Religious Affairs Ministry condemned the "criminal attack" and remarked some 13 mosques have been "violated" by the Israeli military or settlers since the start of 2026.

Local sources informed the Anadolu agency that the racist slogans sprayed at the site included threats against Palestinians and a message to the United States ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, saying: "Huckabee, greetings from the terrorists."

In practice, the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement after the Madama attack, warning of "the dangers of the continued and escalating religious war" waged by Israeli forces and settlers against religious sites in the occupied West Bank, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

Notably, the "systematic attacks. Crossed all red lines and risked triggering a religious conflict with serious consequences for the region and the world", it remarked.

Settlers additionally burned vehicles in the town of Beta, south of Nablus, and set fire to a Palestinian vehicle in Nahalin, west of Bethlehem, on Tuesday, according to media reports and footage posted online.

For context, the attacks come against the backdrop of a sharp rise in pogroms by Israeli forces and settlers throughout the occupied West Bank.

As well as demolitions and evictions, the United Nations remarked in August that at least 76 Palestinians have been killed in the territory this year and that some 3, 800 residents have been displaced by settler violence.

It additionally stated settler violence had reached "unprecedented levels, " with more than 1, 430 attacks resulting in casualties or property damage documented this year.

Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces arrested at least 14 Palestinians, including five in Rummanah, one at the Anab checkpoint, one in Tammun, three in Hebron, two in Bethlehem and two in Nablus.

Israeli forces additionally uprooted olive trees near Jenin, demolished greenhouses and issued a demolition notice for a home in the town of Idhna.

In short, israeli forces, settlers attack two West Bank mosques is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.