Israeli occupiers attempt to set fire to mosque in northern West Bank

Israeli occupiers attempted to set fire to a mosque in the northern West Bank early Tuesday, in the latest attack in the occupied territory, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Local sources told Wafa that the occupiers tried to break into the Nur al-Din Zengi Mosque in the town of Bazariya, northwest of Nablus.

After failing to force open the mosque's doors, they set fire to a room near the mosque and sprayed racist slogans at the site.

Local sources told Anadolu that the racist slogans sprayed at the site included threats against Palestinians and a message to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee saying: "Huckabee, greetings from the terrorists."

Last month, Huckabee described Israeli occupiers attacking Palestinians in the town of Qusra and other areas of the occupied West Bank as "terrorists."

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs condemned the attack, describing the targeting of mosques and places of worship as a "dangerous and systematic escalation" aimed at provoking Muslims.

The ministry called on international and human rights organizations to protect places of worship and act against repeated occupier attacks on Palestinian towns and villages.

In a separate statement, the Palestinian presidency warned of the danger of the continued "religious war" by the Israeli army and occupiers against Al-Aqsa Mosque and religious sites, saying Israeli attacks had "crossed all red lines."

The attempt by Israeli occupiers to burn the Nur al-Din Zengi Mosque in Bazariya, along with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, proved that attacks on holy sites have become "a systematic policy adopted and protected by the occupation government," it said.

It stressed that the entire Al-Aqsa Mosque is "a purely Islamic site," and that East Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites are an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory.

The incident comes amid a sharp increase in attacks by illegal Israeli occupiers across the occupied West Bank. The UN said in August that occupier violence had reached "unprecedented levels," with more than 1,430 attacks resulting in casualties or property damage documented in 2026 as of early August.

Mosques have also been targeted in previous attacks. In June, the UN documented arson attacks on mosques in the Ramallah governorate, including attempts to set buildings on fire and graffiti sprayed on their walls.