Hamas on Monday condemned an arson attack carried out by Israeli settlers operating under the protection of the Israeli enemy against the Abu Bakr as-Siddiq Mosque in the village of Tal, west of Nablus. The group described the assault as a fascist crime and a clear violation of international protections for religious sites.
In a statement, Hamas reported that settlers perpetrated the attack in the early hours of Monday, setting fire to the mosque and spray-painting racist graffiti on its walls.
Early at dawn, Israeli settler militias set fire to the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque in the town of Tell, southwest of Nablus in the West Bank, and spray-painted hostile graffiti on its walls. pic.twitter.com/703AtUAvjB
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 23, 2026
The assault occurred just days after the start of the holy month of Ramadan, with settlers acting under the cover of Israeli military protection.
Flames engulfed the mosque’s gates and outer walls before local residents intervened, preventing the fire from spreading to the interior of the building.
Hamas characterized the incident as “an organized fascist crime and a blatant act of aggression against places of worship and Islamic holy sites.”
The movement further stated that the act “flagrantly violates all international laws and norms guaranteeing the protection of religious sites and places of worship.”
It called on Palestinians to “mobilize widely in defense of mosques and holy sites against settler attacks and criminal acts,” urging confrontation of the repeated assaults.
Hamas also appealed to the United Nations and international human rights organizations to condemn the attack and take action against those responsible.
It urged international bodies to “pursue those responsible, along with the leaders of the occupation government, and hold them accountable for their public incitement to commit these brutal crimes against the Palestinian people and Islamic and Christian holy sites.”
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs condemned the assault, stating that settler gangs targeted 45 mosques in 2025 alone underscoring a systematic campaign against Palestinian places of worship.
In a broader context, Palestinian Christian communities have also faced escalating Israeli violence, with more than 50,000 residents living in areas increasingly threatened by Israeli forces and settlers.
Settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds has persisted for years and has intensified since the launch of Israel’s war on the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to official data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, approximately 4,723 settler violence incidents were recorded in 2025.
Over the past two years, more than 1,000 Palestinians, including 217 minors, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli troops and settlers.
Source: Palestinian media (edited and translated by Al-Manar)