Israeli Settlers Set Fire to Mosque in West Bank Village of Mikhmas

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and spray-painted Hebrew slogans on its exterior walls in the West Bank village of Mikhmas early on Wednesday, Palestinian residents and the Israeli military said. A car was also burned. No injuries were reported and no suspects have been identified.

Atta Kanaan, a resident who lives 50 metres from the mosque, told AFP he heard breaking glass shortly after midnight and found a fire burning inside. Villagers used extinguishers to contain part of the blaze before firefighters arrived. AFP footage showed burned carpeting and blackened interior walls. An AFP journalist reported slogans painted on the outside, including the phrase “just because we are quiet doesn’t mean we are asleep.”

Israel’s military said soldiers were sent to Mikhmas after reports of graffiti, arson at the mosque, and damage to a vehicle. “No suspects were identified,” the military told AFP, adding that an investigation had been opened. Mikhmas lies in the central West Bank between Ramallah and Jerusalem, near several settlement outposts whose residents have attacked the village on multiple occasions in recent months. Local residents have organised night-watch patrols because of fears that houses on the outskirts could be targeted.

Rouhi Fattouh, president of the Palestinian National Council, called the arson “a barbaric act and a dangerous escalation in settler terrorism.” Palestinian sources said the attack occurred while Israeli forces continued raids elsewhere in the West Bank. Separate reports on the same day described settlers attacking a boy in Beita, south of Nablus.

Settler violence against Palestinian property and people has increased since the start of the current conflict in Gaza. Human rights organisations have documented repeated arson attacks on mosques, olive groves, and vehicles, and have accused Israeli authorities of failing to prevent or prosecute the majority of incidents. The military’s statement that no suspects were identified is consistent with the pattern in many earlier cases, in which investigations are opened but arrests remain rare.

The mosque attack adds to a series of incidents this year in which religious sites have been damaged. In July, settlers were reported to have set fire to mosques in other West Bank villages after a deadly clash near Tal. Palestinian officials have called for international monitoring of settler activity and for accountability measures against those responsible for the repeated attacks.