Israeli settlers deface, set fire to West Bank mosque during Ramadan

Attack on Nablus-area mosque is latest in surge of Israeli settler and military violence targeting Palestinians.Published On 23 Feb 2026Israeli settlers have defaced and set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, marking the latest incident in a wave of Israeli violence against Palestinians in the territory.The Wafa news agency reported on Monday that settlers graffitied racist slogans on the walls of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq Mosque, located between the towns of Sarra and Tal, near Nablus in the north of the West Bank.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Inside Israel’s plan to turn West Bank land into ‘state property’list 2 of 3‘Absurd and provocative’: Huckabee faces firestorm for Israel border stancelist 3 of 3Israel designates five Palestinian news outlets as ‘terrorist’ groupsend of listWorshippers arriving for the day’s first prayers found the damage and a smouldering fire that spewed black smoke across the mosque’s entrance and stained the ornate doorway, The Associated Press reported.“I was shocked when I opened the door,” Munir Ramdan, who lives nearby, told the news agency. “The fire had been burning here in the area, the glass was broken here and the door was broken.”Ramdan told AP that security camera footage showed two people walking towards the mosque carrying gasoline or petrol and a can of spray paint, and running away a few minutes later.The attackers spray-painted graffiti denigrating the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the words “revenge” and “price tag” – a term used to describe attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property.A man inspects Hebrew graffiti on the walls outside the Abu Bakr as-Siddiq Mosque after the attack [AFP]The assault comes amid a wave of intensified Israeli settler and military violence across the West Bank in the shadow of Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the nearby Gaza Strip.