Mosque Torched, Children Detained in West Bank, OIC Calls Emergency Meeting
By Palestine Chronicle Staff
Israeli occupation forces intensified raids across the West Bank while illegal settlers burned a mosque, stormed homes, and injured residents.
Key Developments
Israeli forces carried out widespread raids across the West Bank, including arrests of children.
One Palestinian was injured, six others arrested, and a home demolished during operations on February 23, 2026.
Illegal Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank.
Footage showed a settler breaking into a Palestinian home accompanied by a donkey.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation convened an emergency meeting to address escalating violations.
Raids, Arrests, and Home Demolition
Israeli occupation forces launched a wide-ranging campaign of incursions across multiple areas of the occupied West Bank on Monday, moving simultaneously into towns, villages, and refugee camps in what local sources described as one of the broader waves of raids in recent weeks.
According to Quds News Network, military units stormed residential neighborhoods in several locations, deploying large numbers of soldiers accompanied by military vehicles. Troops surrounded homes before forcibly entering them, conducting room-to-room searches and gathering residents in courtyards or inside single rooms for questioning.
Among those detained were minors, with arrest operations reportedly targeting children, including Ibrahim Rami Al-Jamal, who was detained after Israeli occupation troops stormed his family home in Asira Al-Shamaliya, northwest of Nablus.
Eyewitnesses cited by local media said that Israeli soldiers carried out extensive house searches, overturning furniture, confiscating personal belongings, and damaging property during the raids. Field interrogations were conducted on the spot, with residents questioned for prolonged periods before some were released and others taken into custody.
Al-Jazeera reported that at least one Palestinian was injured during the incursions. In addition to the injury, six Palestinians were detained across the affected areas. During the same wave of operations, Israeli occupation forces demolished a Palestinian home, leaving the family displaced. The demolition was carried out amid the broader military campaign, compounding the impact on local residents.
Reports also indicated that live ammunition and tear gas were used in several locations as confrontations erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian residents.
Settlers Burn Mosque
Parallel to the military raids, illegal Israeli Jewish settlers carried out attacks against Palestinian property and religious sites.
According to QNN, illegal settlers set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank, causing damage to the structure. The attack on a place of worship heightened tensions in the surrounding communities, where residents described the assault as part of an ongoing campaign targeting religious and civilian infrastructure.
Anadolu News Agency reported separately that an illegal Jewish settler broke into a Palestinian home in the occupied West Bank while accompanied by a donkey. Video footage circulating online showed the individual entering the residence, underscoring brazen acts carried out with impunity.
Local residents indicated that such incidents often occur in areas near illegal settlements, where Palestinian communities face repeated harassment, intimidation, and property violations.
Regional Response and Emergency Meeting
In response to the escalating situation, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to address developments in the occupied Palestinian territory.
According to the OIC statement, the meeting will focus on ongoing Israeli military operations, settler violence, and attacks on religious sites.
Participants will discuss diplomatic and political measures aimed at responding to what was described as continued violations against Palestinians.
(PC, QNN, Al-Jazeera, Anadolu)