Israeli settlers set fire to mosque in West Bank

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in a village in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, according to local Palestinian officials.

Osama Abdullah, head of the village council in Jiljiliya, north of Ramallah, said settlers attacked the village during the early hours of the morning and set fire to an ablution room attached to the main mosque after finding the mosque itself locked.

He said the attack damaged the mosque and that hostile slogans were spray-painted on its outer walls.

AFP journalists who visited the site reported seeing extensive fire damage, with smoke and burn marks visible on the mosque’s walls, ceiling and floors. Graffiti written in Hebrew was also seen on the walls, including the words “vengeance” and “hi from the Hilltop Youth”.

The Hilltop Youth is a group of Israeli settlers that has frequently been carrying out attacks against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank. According to Abdullah, the incident took place between 2am and 3am. He said local residents and Palestinian civil defence teams managed to extinguish the fire before it spread further.