Israeli police shot and killed Ibrahim al-Hendi, 33, near Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate before dawn on September 4, saying he had tried to stab officers; Palestinian reporting identified him as a Beit Hanina resident and treated the stabbing allegation as an Israeli police claim. 514 The shooting was followed by a heavy security deployment around the Old City that restricted Palestinian movement and impeded people heading to dawn prayers, adding to a wider pattern of coercive control in Jerusalem and the West Bank. 16

• Qusra: As of September 4, three Palestinian families had been besieged for 28 days since August 9. Settlers had encircled the homes, while residents reported being cut off from normal access and basic supplies; earlier reporting documented water and electricity cuts. 162

• Army restrictions and aid attempt: The Israeli army designated the area a closed military zone, restricting access. It then prevented roughly 100 Palestinian, Israeli, and international peace activists from bringing food and medicine to the families, according to the report. 16 This meant the military deployment functioned not simply as separation, but also blocked outside humanitarian support.

• Wider West Bank escalation: Reports also described settler assaults and military raids or arrests elsewhere, including operations in Nablus and Jenin. 1310 Palestinian officials had recorded 1,476 settler attacks in 2026 at the point cited; later Palestinian monitoring reported a still higher cumulative figure, so that earlier number should be read as a time-specific tally, not a final annual total. 712

• Why Huckabee’s response matters: U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee—usually closely associated with support for Israeli settlements—called the Qusra siege a “horrific act of terror” and referred to the perpetrators as “Israeli terrorists.” 1013 That unusually sharp criticism underscores how the Qusra case combined settler intimidation, prolonged deprivation, and state-imposed access restrictions in a way that drew even exceptional U.S. diplomatic rebuke.

Israeli police shot and killed Ibrahim al-Hendi, 33, near Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate before dawn on September 4, saying he had tried to stab officers; Palestinian reporting identified him as a Beit Hanina resident and treated the stabbing allegation as an Israeli police claim. 514 The shooting was followed by a heavy security deployment around the Old City that restricted Palestinian movement and impeded people heading to dawn prayers, adding to a wider pattern of coercive control in Jerusalem and the West Bank. 16

• Qusra: As of September 4, three Palestinian families had been besieged for 28 days since August 9. Settlers had encircled the homes, while residents reported being cut off from normal access and basic supplies; earlier reporting documented water and electricity cuts. 162

• Army restrictions and aid attempt: The Israeli army designated the area a closed military zone, restricting access. It then prevented roughly 100 Palestinian, Israeli, and international peace activists from bringing food and medicine to the families, according to the report. 16 This meant the military deployment functioned not simply as separation, but also blocked outside humanitarian support.

• Wider West Bank escalation: Reports also described settler assaults and military raids or arrests elsewhere, including operations in Nablus and Jenin. 1310 Palestinian officials had recorded 1,476 settler attacks in 2026 at the point cited; later Palestinian monitoring reported a still higher cumulative figure, so that earlier number should be read as a time-specific tally, not a final annual total. 712

• Why Huckabee’s response matters: U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee—usually closely associated with support for Israeli settlements—called the Qusra siege a “horrific act of terror” and referred to the perpetrators as “Israeli terrorists.” 1013 That unusually sharp criticism underscores how the Qusra case combined settler intimidation, prolonged deprivation, and state-imposed access restrictions in a way that drew even exceptional U.S. diplomatic rebuke.