West Bank mosque set on fire, graffitied with ‘revenge’ in apparent settler attack

A mosque was set on fire and graffitied with threatening messages early Monday in the village of Tell, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, in an attack apparently carried out by extremist Israeli settlers.

Footage published by Palestinian media showed the charred entrance to the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq mosque, and the Hebrew phrases “revenge” and “price tag” spray-painted in black on the outer wall. Settler extremists often refer to violence against Palestinians as a “price tag” for Palestinian attacks and the dismantling of settler outposts by Israeli forces.

Palestinian news outlet Ma’an said the fire was set at the entrance to the mosque and damaged its gate and exterior before locals put out the flames.

The Israeli military said troops and police officers were dispatched to the village following “a report and documentation that were received retrospectively regarding suspects who set fire to a mosque and sprayed graffiti.”

“The forces began searches for the suspects, and the incident is being investigated by the security authorities,” the Israel Defense Forces said.

The IDF added that it “strongly condemns incidents of this kind, including harm to religious institutions, and will continue to act decisively to maintain security and order in the area.”

In a statement, the Palestinian Authority’s Religious Endowments Ministry said “the attempt to burn down the mosque clearly shows the barbarity that the racist Israeli incitement machine has stooped to against Muslim and Christian sanctuaries in Palestine.”

According to the ministry, settlers attacked 45 mosques in the West Bank last year. The figure could not be immediately verified.

عاجل| مليشيات المستوطنين يحرقون مسجد "أبو بكر الصديق" في قرية تل جنوب غرب نابلس ويخطون شعارات معادية فجر اليوم. pic.twitter.com/AARbLwJ6Ix

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) February 23, 2026

The attack on the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq mosque, days into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, came after Jewish nationalist messages including “revenge” were found Thursday on the walls of the Church of the Visitation, a prominent Christian holy site in Jerusalem.

Settler attacks in the West Bank have spiked since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023. On Wednesday, a 19-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed in a settler attack on the central West Bank village of Mukhmas.

The settler attacks, which occur on a near-daily basis, largely go unchecked. Prosecutions of Jewish extremists are rare, and convictions are even rarer. Critics have accused the government, described as the most hardline in Israel’s history, of shrugging off the attacks.

Data published by the IDF and Shin Bet security agency last month showed a 27 percent rise in settler attacks in 2025 compared to the previous year.

In addition to the overall rise in settler attacks, in 2025 there was also an increase in the number of severe incidents, including shootings, arson, and other violent crimes: 128 in the past year, compared with 83 in 2024 and 54 in 2023, according to the data.