Israeli settlers attack Palestinian homes in West Bank

Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, pelting them with rocks and trapping residents in their homes.

The incident was the first major attack by Israeli settlers since they began a siege in the villages of Qusra and neighboring Jalud earlier this month.

On Saturday, settlers descended on Qusra and began pelting Palestinians with rocks. When dozens of residents sought to barricade themselves in a home, settlers followed them in, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

"The security forces who arrived at the scene initially operated to remove the rioters from the home and separate the groups, in order to protect the residents inside the house," said an IDF statement.

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Although the IDF said settler vehicles had been impounded and authorities were gathering evidence, Palestinian media said the IDF protected the settlers during the melee.

A number of Palestinians said they were injured after being pepper sprayed by settlers, and reported that other Israeli settlers had tried to burn nearby fields owned by Palestinians.

One Palestinian said the IDF had fired tear gas into the home that he was in and held several people inside while at the same time letting Israeli settlers go free.