Netanyahu Orders West Bank Raids After Settlers Burn Mosques

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a major security operation across the West Bank and Gaza Strip on July 27, 2026, following a series of escalations. The military operation included raids on at least 20 towns and villages, mass arrests of 60 to 130 Palestinians, and the demolition of residential buildings in Jenin and Ni’lin. In Tubas, military authorities seized 498 dunums of land for the Crimson Thread project. In Gaza, an Israeli drone wounded three fishermen near Gaza City.

The military surge followed attacks by Israeli settlers who set fire to two mosques in the villages of Qusra and Kour. The attackers used explosives and painted Hebrew graffiti referencing revenge for a clash in Tell on the preceding Friday that left two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians dead. Concurrent with the arson, settlers damaged olive groves and crops near Ramallah and Hebron.

The Palestinian Authority characterized the arson as state-backed settler terrorism and systematic pogroms. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese similarly described the settler attacks as pogroms against defenseless civilians. In response, the Government of Israel condemned the harm to religious sites and stated it would act decisively to maintain public order. The Arab League and President Mahmoud Abbas appealed for urgent international intervention to prevent further violence.