More troops to be sent to West Bank village besieged by Israeli settlers

The Israeli military says it will deploy additional troops to the occupied West Bank after failing to force away Israeli settlers who have trapped two Palestinian families in their homes since Sunday.

The Abu Ridi and Hassan families - who live on the outskirts of the village of Qusra, south of Nablus - made appeals for help after their water and power supplies were cut off and their food stocks ran low.

The case is the latest to draw attention to the relative impunity of settlers and how Israeli forces are struggling to deal with rising settler violence.

Videos shared from Qusra overnight show a dozen Israeli security vehicles – including a bulldozer.

In later footage – filmed in the daylight – there is a long line of Israeli security forces on the road to the Palestinian village, which remains a closed military zone.

Local media reports say that a nearby Israeli settler outpost was demolished.

Qusay Abu Ridi, who has been trapped by settlers in his home since Sunday with his water and power cut off, told the BBC that the house had been attacked again overnight and that a few settlers remained in the area, hiding from the army.

His brother – who owns the property – is a Palestinian-American businessman who had complained to the US embassy.