Besieged homeowner: Soldiers gave us half-hour to leave

IDF removes Palestinians from homes for op said aimed at clearing harassing settlers

Army backtracks from evacuation order, but some residents say they still haven't been allowed back into besieged Qusra home; Huckabee says IDF in Qusra at his request, slams the settlers as 'Israeli terrorists'

By Nurit Yohanan, Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff 13 August 2026, 1:02 pm
Settlers gesture to the camera as they remain outside the besieged homes of Palestinian residents in Qusra, near Nablus in the northern West Bank, August 13, 2026 (Video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The IDF on Thursday ordered the evacuation of 15 homes in the northern West Bank village of Qusra, as part of an operation that is purportedly aimed at clearing several Israeli illegal outposts surrounding the town.

But while Palestinians were ordered to leave the area, settlers from the outposts — who have been laying siege to a pair of homes on the outskirts of Qusra since Sunday, cutting their water and electricity lines, remained on site.

It was unclear why the IDF needed to remove Palestinians from their homes in order to clear settlers from the area, but the IDF rescinded the evacuation order shortly after it began making headlines.

Those forced to evacuate by the army included two families whose homes have been under siege by settlers. They were moved to a third building that is also surrounded by settlers, before one of the families was allowed to return to their home, residents told The Times of Israel.

Upon their return, the family discovered that the memory card from security cameras documenting the settler siege had been taken by the soldiers.

Other Palestinians were allowed to return to their homes, but one of them sent footage to The Times of Israel showing how soldiers had damaged it while they were gone. The family also claims that the soldiers stole a sum of money while briefly occupying the home.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee slammed the settlers as “terrorists” and said Israeli security forces were in the area at the US Embassy’s request.

The IDF said troops have been operating in Qusra since Thursday morning “to protect the residents and maintain security in the area.”

“The forces were instructed to allow residents of the village to remain in their homes,” the IDF said in a statement walking back the initial evacuation order. Troops were still expected to enter uninhabited buildings in the village in order to operate against the settlers, the army clarified.

Soldiers had arrived at the besieged families’ homes early Thursday and told them to evacuate for three days due to a military operation.

A Qusra resident told The Times of Israel that soldiers had ordered residents of 15 homes in the village to evacuate, and told the residents that the evacuation was part of a military operation, apparently aimed at evacuating illegal settler outposts in the area.

IDF and Border Police forces arrived in Qusra before dawn on Thursday to try to evacuate the settlers besieging the two homes in the village, residents told The Times of Israel. A similar attempt on Wednesday had failed.

The residents said the IDF demolished all of the makeshift structures erected by settlers in the area. Nevertheless, footage showed that several settlers remained near the besieged homes, and residents said they were still afraid to leave their houses.

One resident said that the settlers who had been positioned outside the homes moved up the hill to an older outpost that was established several months ago and has not been evacuated.

The military confirmed that security forces demolished the structures of two illegal settler outposts in the West Bank villages of Qusra and Jalud overnight.

Qusay Abu Ridi, a resident of one of the besieged homes in Qusra, told The Times of Israel that soldiers entered his home and told him that he must leave within half an hour. He said they did not provide a reason.

Responding to a query on the matter, the IDF said that troops were stationed in homes in the area in order to protect the residents. The military did not address the claim that the homeowners had been told to leave.

Army Radio reported that the IDF was planning a multi-day effort to deal with the Qusra situation. Some residents said the IDF had told them about a planned three-day operation.

“IDF troops are deploying in homes in the village area in a defensive posture in order to maintain a presence in the village and protect the residents, including in one of the Palestinian homes whose residents are said to be under siege, in order to protect them,” the IDF said.

Israeli soldiers stand guard next to settlers in front of Palestinian homes that they have blockaded in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, in the West Bank, August 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nidal Eshtayeh)

One of the besieged homes belongs to Loui Ridi, a Palestinian American who lives in Ohio, whose brother and 18-year-old nephew were trapped inside.

Huckabee, a day after a report said the Trump administration was fuming that Israel was allowing “anarchy” in the West Bank, issued a strongly worded statement against the “horrific act of terror” in Qusra.

The US ambassador said Washington has been “VERY involved” in efforts to end the ongoing settler siege, asserting on X that “the IDF & Israel Police have gone at our request to remove the Israeli terrorists doing this.”

“Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting. No excuse for such thuggish behavior,” he said.

Huckabee is an outspoken supporter of settlements, referring to them as “communities” in “Judea and Samaria” — the biblical name for the West Bank.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee speaks during a conference at Tel Aviv University, May 12, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Kan public broadcaster reported Wednesday that White House officials had discussed the siege and concluded that Israel was not taking the matter seriously. US officials were questioning why Israel was allowing “anarchy” in the West Bank, according to Ynet.

Later Thursday, Huckabee praised a settler leader for issuing a rare condemnation of the Qusra siege.

“The events in Qusra are severe and are not our way,” said Yisrael Ganz, who chairs the Yesha Council umbrella body of settlement mayors.

Settlers attempt to prevent the evacuation of an outpost established at the entrance to Palestinian homes near Qusra in the West Bank, August 12, 2026 (Video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

“There is no place to decide, individually, to establish a hilltop [outpost] in the courtyard of a home, and there is certainly no justification for violence toward bystanders or security forces,” Ganz said in a statement.

“There are those who have rushed to use events like these to mount a campaign against settlements overall. We cannot let them do that, but at the same time, that campaign should not blur the simple truth: What’s happening in Qusra is improper and is unacceptable to us,” Ganz continued.

He calls for the continuation of settlement across the West Bank “in an orderly and correct way,” and for Israel to allow settlement construction across the territory, which the current government has already been doing at record numbers.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (right) and Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Ganz admire plans for a new highway connecting the West Bank settlements with central Israel, February 24, 2026. (Courtesy Binyamin Regional Council)

In touting Ganz, Huckabee agreed that the Israelis targeting Qusra are not representative of settlers as a whole.

“‘Settlers’ are not the problem in Judea/Samaria. ‘Unsettlers’ are,” he wrote. “Very small minority who do great damage to Palestinian families & to Israel. Real settlers like Ysrael Ganz, Governor of Judea/Samaria condemn the actions of the few. Let’s hope the media gives attention to this & balances their stories.”

The army’s plan ahead of the first attempt was apparently leaked to the media in advance, prompting dozens of settler activists to swarm to the area in support of the outpost.

In the wake of the clashes with the settlers, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered an additional standing-army infantry battalion deployed to the area to strengthen operational control. The military said it was working alongside the Israel Police and the Shin Bet to restore order and “bring the rioters to justice.”

The IDF also said soldiers who were filmed praying alongside the settlers outside the homes rather than removing them would face disciplinary action.

Children stand outside a mosque that was burned during an attack by Israeli settlers early in the morning in the West Bank village of Qusra, July 26, 2026, as on its wall a Hebrew graffiti reads “Revenge Benayahu,” referring to an Israeli settler killed during clashes with Palestinians in the village of Tell last Friday. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Critics have accused the government and law enforcement of turning a blind eye to violent attacks by settler extremists, which have become increasingly deadly in recent years and occur on a near-daily basis. Arrests are rare, and prosecutions are even less common.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has funneled millions of dollars into the illegal outposts, where many of the perpetrators of attacks on Palestinians live.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is in charge of the Defense Ministry’s settlement policy, has said the goal of the next Israeli government should be to push Palestinians to emigrate.

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