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Three activists from “Looking the Occupation in the Eye” were injured on Friday (27.2.26) in a terrorist attack by settlers near the Palestinian village of Qusra, not far from Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. Two of the wounded were airlifted by helicopter to Beilinson Hospital. The attackers also injured two Palestinian residents.

Two of the injured — a 70-year-old woman and a man in his 40s — remained hospitalized. The woman was admitted to intensive care and is suffering from fractures to her skull, where internal bleeding was detected, as well as fractures to her pelvis and shoulder. The man sustained facial and eye injuries and a broken arm. The third injured activist, Yael Levkovitz, was released home after receiving medical treatment.

The activists had come to visit a Palestinian family that had suffered harassment during the previous week from settlers from a nearby illegal outpost and had been forced to leave their home after settlers entered and vandalized their property. On Friday, they returned with the activists to collect belongings and assess the possibility of returning home.

According to Yael Levkovitz, four masked individuals suddenly arrived at the scene “out of nowhere,” riding a Ranger vehicle. “They approached us quickly,” she told reporters. “They had murder in their eyes and started beating us.” The terrorists struck those present with clubs and iron rods, delivering what one beaten activist described as “lethal blows.” The violent attack continued even while the activists lay wounded and helpless on the ground.

In an interview with reporters, Levkovitz said that the other female activist “was lying on her stomach and blood was streaming from her head. They came again to beat her and I told them, ‘She’s a 70-year-old woman, she has a head injury, please leave her,’ and then they all went back toward the outpost.” She testified that the settlers beat her on the head, ribs, and back. “I hid under a tree and screamed, ‘Please no, please no,’” she said, describing how the settlers continued beating another activist while he lay injured on the ground.

A Palestinian ambulance evacuated the three toward Nablus, where it met an Israeli ambulance near the Za’atara Junction (Tapuach). From there, the two seriously injured were airlifted to the hospital. During the evacuation, approximately 15–20 settlers were seen descending from the hill toward the scene.

The outpost from which the attackers emerged was described as follows: “It’s not even really an outpost — one caravan on the hilltop, a small sheep pen, and a Palestinian villa they have taken over.” It was said that about five “crazed” youths aged 16–17 were there (apparently the four attackers plus one lookout on the hill), and that when they carry out a larger operation, they call for reinforcements from the Esh Kodesh outpost, the settlement of Shilo, and the regional security squad from Migdalim.

In media reports, the IDF responded that “a report was received regarding masked Israeli civilians who attacked Palestinians and additional Israeli civilians. As a result, two Israeli civilians were injured and evacuated for medical treatment at a hospital. Forces are searching for those involved.” The army statement added: “This is a serious incident — the IDF and Israel Police strongly condemn incidents of violence of this kind and will continue to act to maintain residents’ security and order in the area.”

In a statement, “Looking the Occupation in the Eye” said: “There is a direct line connecting the arrival of right-wing activists at journalists’ homes and the attacks on Palestinians and activists in the West Bank. The weak condemnations heard each time such an incident occurs are a mockery. It’s either act now and bring about their arrest, or provide them with backing.”

The brutal attack unusually prompted responses from public figures, including President Isaac Herzog, who posted on X: “Such violence endangers lives, crosses a glaring red line, and stands in complete contradiction to the values of the State of Israel, its laws, and Jewish values. This grave incident joins a number of severe and unacceptable events from recent times that primarily harm the settlement enterprise and the good name of the State of Israel around the world.” His remarks regarding harm to the settlement enterprise drew sharp criticism.

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