Settlers Set Fire to Parts of a Mosque South of Tulkarm Amid Palestinian Condemnation and Calls for International Action
Settlers set fire at dawn on Sunday to parts of a Palestinian mosque in the village of Kour, located south of the city of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank, in an attack that Palestinian sources said also involved the spray-painting of racist slogans on the mosque’s walls. The incident marks another attack targeting places of worship and comes only hours after another mosque under construction in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, was set ablaze.
The Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) quoted eyewitnesses as saying that a group of settlers entered the village of Kour during the early morning hours before heading to the mosque and setting parts of it on fire, causing material damage inside the building and defacing its walls with what were described as racist writings and slogans.
The witnesses said the fire broke out inside the mosque, burning parts of its facilities and contents before the settlers left the scene. Villagers quickly intervened to extinguish the fire and prevent the flames from spreading, helping to avert more extensive damage to the building.
The eyewitnesses added that the attackers left racist slogans on the mosque’s walls, in what residents considered a continuation of a series of attacks targeting Islamic holy sites in the West Bank.
The attack came only hours after a similar incident in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, where, according to Palestinian sources, settlers set fire to a mosque that was still under construction. The incident in Kour therefore became the second attack on a mosque within a short period, prompting widespread Palestinian condemnation.
Palestinian Condemnation and Calls for Urgent Action
Following the incident, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs strongly condemned what it described as the “heinous crime” targeting the mosque in the village of Kour, stressing that attacks on and the burning of mosques are no longer isolated individual acts but have become systematic and premeditated, targeting the Palestinian presence and its religious rights, under what it described as the protection and tolerance of the occupying forces toward such attacks.
In a statement, the ministry affirmed that attacks on places of worship constitute a blatant violation of all international conventions and norms that guarantee freedom of worship and require the protection of holy sites from any form of attack. It added that the continuation of such violations would further increase tension and unrest in the Palestinian territories.
The ministry emphasized that targeting mosques affects not only buildings and property but also infringes upon the freedom to practice religious rituals and threatens the sanctity of places of worship. It argued that the repeated nature of these attacks requires urgent action from the international community to put an end to them and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
The Ministry of Awqaf also called on international institutions and human rights organizations to fulfill their responsibilities and take urgent action to stop what it described as repeated crimes against places of worship, while working to hold those responsible accountable under international law in a manner that guarantees the protection of religious holy sites and safeguards the rights of Palestinians to practice their religious rituals freely and safely.
In the same context, the ministry renewed its call for citizens to remain vigilant and increase efforts to guard and protect mosques from repeated attacks, amid what it described as a growing pattern of targeting them in recent months.
The attack on the mosque in the village of Kour adds to a series of assaults targeting places of worship and Palestinian property across the West Bank, amid Palestinian warnings that the continuation of such incidents without deterrent measures from the international community could lead to further escalation and heighten tensions in the region, while calls continue for effective protection of religious holy sites and respect for international laws and conventions that prohibit attacks against them.
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Author: Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi.
Publication Date: July 26, 2026.
Last Updated: July 2026.
