Police confirm mosque fire being investigated as criminal matter

Police say they are investigating following an overnight fire at a West Bank mosque that locals allege was an arson attack carried out by Israeli settlers.

A statement from police says officers searched for perpetrators and a crime forensics team collected evidence from the scene in Tuwani, in the southern Hebron Hills.

A car was torched and damage was caused to a “house of prayer” along with graffiti, police say. Pictures from the scene show a Star of David and the words “Havat Gilad” painted on a wall, referring to a northern West Bank settlement where several homes caught fire Saturday.

Israeli colonists set fire to two Palestinian homes and a mosque in the village of Al-Tuwani in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron, overnight, causing extensive damage. pic.twitter.com/2X17FClFUE

— Government Communication Center (@pal_gcc_en) July 19, 2026

“An investigation into the cause of the incident… is ongoing,” the statement reads, without directly noting the arson suspicions.

In the same statement, police also note that arson investigators are continuing to look into a wildfire that engulfed homes in Havat Gilad, west of Nablus, on Saturday.

An initial probe had indicated that the blaze was started by a lit cigarette flicked out of the window of a car. Police say authorities are continuing to investigate “to reach the truth and locate those involved.”