Palestinians say Israeli settlers torch mosque, factory

Key Points:

• Israeli settlers set fire to the Al-Taqwa mosque, two houses, and a dairy factory in the village of Al-Tuwani in the occupied West Bank, with Hebrew graffiti sprayed on the mosque walls, according to Palestinian officials.
• The attack occurred overnight amid a surge in settler violence against Palestinian communities since the start of the 2023 Gaza war, with local volunteers extinguishing the flames before they spread further.
• The Israeli police deployed officers to investigate the incident, which included damage to a vehicle and a prayer structure, but Palestinian activists claim the attack happened in full view of the nearby Israeli army watchtower.
• The Palestinian religious affairs ministry condemned the arson as a terrorist act, accusing Israel's government of encouraging settler violence to displace Palestinians and escalate the conflict into a religious war.
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that settler violence in the West Bank has reached unprecedented levels, averaging six attacks per day, affecting the lives of around three million Palestinians living alongside over 500,000 Israeli settlers.