Israeli settlers have besieged two Palestinian families in Qusra, near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, since Sunday, cutting access to water, electricity and food and blocking them from leaving their homes. The case highlights escalating settler violence and tensions in the West Bank, which a senior UN official has warned is at “breaking point”.

Security footage reportedly showed settlers dismantling a wall and using its stones to block the road, leaving seven people, including two young girls, isolated. The Israeli military condemned the outpost as illegal and said it had begun evacuating settlers after clashes, while an ambulance reached the families late on Tuesday with food and took a child for medical treatment.