Israeli forces fired tear gas into a mosque in the occupied West Bank, leaving worshippers struggling to breathe, hours after Israeli settlers allegedly attempted to set fire to another mosque in the territory.
The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs condemned the incidents, describing the attacks as a serious violation of the sanctity of places of worship. The tear gas attack occurred at a mosque in Madama, near Nablus, as worshippers gathered for evening prayers.
Footage verified by Al Jazeera showed worshippers coughing after the attack. An elderly man was also seen bent over while another person attempted to assist him.
The Religious Affairs Ministry said Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters into the mosque, causing several elderly worshippers to suffer breathing difficulties and disrupting the prayer congregation.
The attack in Madama came hours after Israeli settlers allegedly attempted to set fire to another mosque in the nearby town of Bazariya.
Photos and videos from the Nur al-Din Zanki Mosque showed blackened burn marks around a window, while Hebrew phrases had been sprayed across the exterior walls. Majed Nasr, a resident living near the mosque, said the incident occurred early Tuesday morning.
“There was a small explosion that caused a fire inside the mosque building,” he told AFP. “We managed to contain the blaze before things could get worse and reach the main upper part of the building.”
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The Palestinian Religious Affairs Ministry condemned the incident as a “criminal attack” and said about 13 mosques had been “violated” by Israeli military forces or settlers since the beginning of 2026.
Local sources cited by Anadolu said the slogans sprayed on the mosque included threats against Palestinians and a message directed at US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Madama attack and warned of what it described as an escalating religious campaign against religious sites across the occupied West Bank, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.
The statement warned that the attacks had “crossed all red lines” and could trigger a religious conflict with serious consequences for the region and beyond.
The latest incidents came amid a reported increase in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers across the occupied West Bank.
Settlers also reportedly burned vehicles in the town of Beta, south of Nablus, and set fire to a Palestinian vehicle in Nahalin, west of Bethlehem, on Tuesday.
The United Nations said in August that at least 76 Palestinians had been killed in the occupied West Bank during 2026, while about 3,800 people had been displaced by settler violence, demolitions and evictions.
The UN also reported what it described as unprecedented levels of settler violence, documenting more than 1,430 attacks resulting in casualties or property damage during the year.
Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces arrested at least 14 Palestinians. The arrests reportedly included five people in Rummanah, one at the Anab checkpoint, one in Tammun, three in Hebron, two in Bethlehem and two in Nablus.
Israeli forces also reportedly uprooted olive trees near Jenin, demolished greenhouses and issued a demolition notice for a Palestinian home in the town of Idhna.
Al Jazeera
