OCCUPIED WEST BANK Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian residents said yesterday, and video showed “Revenge”, “Death to Arabs” and other slogans had been spray-painted in Hebrew on the building’s facade.

Black burn marks were visible at the entrance to the Muslim holy site in the northern West Bank village of Marda. The fire was put out before it could spread much further.

Israeli police said they were collecting testimonies and evidence at the scene.

Nasfat al-Khufash, head of the Marda village council, said: “On Friday [yesterday], Marda awoke to a systematic terror attack by a group of settlers who set fire to Bir al-Walideen mosque.”

“These attacks by settler groups are continuous and systematic,” he said.

The Israeli police and Shin Bet security services said in a joint statement: “We see this incident as extremely serious and will act resolutely to bring the perpetrators to justice for rigorous trial.”

The Palestinian Authority foreign ministry assailed the attack as the latest in a series of violations and crimes by Israeli settlers and appealed to the United Nations Security Council for help protecting Palestinians.

Meanwhile, US and Arab mediators were working around the clock to prepare a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, sources close to the talks have told Reuters, as strikes continued in Gaza Strip.

Medics reported that dozens had died in strikes on houses, shelters and refugee camps in Gaza City, a camp in central Gaza, and a housing project near Beit Lahiya in the north.

At least 45,206 Palestinians have been killed and 107,512 wounded in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement yesterday.

The Israeli military commented on a strike in the eastern Gaza City’s suburb of Tuffah, saying it struck Hamas members operating in command and control complexes in areas that were previously used as the Al-Karama and Sha’ban Schools in that suburb.

It said Hamas used the complexes to plan and execute attacks against its forces.

In a separate development, Sweden said it will no longer fund the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) but instead provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza via other channels.