Two left-wing activists hospitalized after settlers beat them; Herzog says attack ‘harms settlement movement’

Two activists from the left-wing Israeli group Looking the Occupation in the Eyes were hospitalized with serious head wounds after settlers beat them in the village of Qusra, near Nablus in the northern West Bank, the group says.

The Magen David Adom says the two activists were airlifted to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva in moderate condition.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society also confirms its medics treated two “foreign solidarity activists” who were severely beaten by settlers. The Red Crescent says the activists were a 51-year-old man and 71-year-old woman.

Israeli troops and police officers were later dispatched to Qusra. The IDF says the forces are scanning the area for the assailants, and that an investigation has been launched at the police’s Ariel station.

“This is a grave incident. The IDF and the Israel Police strongly condemn incidents of violence of this kind and will continue to act to maintain the security of the residents and order in the area,” the army adds.

President Isaac Herzog condemns the attack, writing on X that it “stands in complete opposition to the values and laws of the State of Israel and the values of Judaism.”

“This serious incident joins a number of harsh and illegitimate recent incidents that, first and foremost, harm the settlement movement and the reputation of the State of Israel,” he says.

According to Looking the Occupation in the Eyes, some 15-20 armed settlers took part in the attack, which targeted both Israeli activists and local Palestinians.

Footage filmed by one Israeli activist shows at least three masked people wielding clubs pulling up in a small ATV, before getting out and swinging their clubs at the person filming, who yells in pain and pleads with the assailants to stop.

הטרור היהודי | תיעוד קשה: פעילי תנועת "מסתכלים לכיבוש בעיניים" הותקפו באלימות בידי מתנחלים בכפר קוסרה באזור שכם pic.twitter.com/RxCVhBaGdC

— חדר מלחמה (@waroomisrael) February 27, 2026

Separate footage filmed by a Palestinian shows a woman lying face-down on the ground, apparently unconscious. The person filming says the attackers “killed her.” However, MDA says both wounded activists were conscious when they arrived at Beilinson.

#شاهد| فيديو يوثق اعتداء المستوطنين على متضامنة أجنبية وإصابتها بجراح خلال فعالية تضامنية في بلدة قصرة جنوب نابلس pic.twitter.com/9gPPO8PjTU

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) February 27, 2026