US news team attacked in occupied West Bank amid fresh settler violence

Dozens of masked Israeli settler militants have attacked homes surrounding the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, the first major attack since a siege by settlers in the area earlier this month drew an international outcry .

The settlers surrounded a Palestinian home, throwing stones on Saturday while seven Palestinians were trapped inside, according to witnesses who spoke to Reuters news agency.

US news network NBC reported three of its members were also attacked while interviewing a Palestinian family in Jalud.

Saddam Oday, one of those trapped in Qusra, said the Israeli military fired tear gas into the home and detained the residents inside while letting him go. He said the Israeli military had not detained any of the settlers and had allowed them to leave.

The owner of the house, Luay Bayruti, said when the military arrived, they handcuffed, blindfolded and beat those inside, before later releasing them.

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The Israeli military said in a statement that troops and border police forces had arrived on the scene to remove "rioters" and protect the residents inside the house.

The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why they had reportedly fired tear gas at the house and detained and beaten the residents.

In his first public statement on Qusra, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he condemned the violence in Qusra and blamed a "handful of rioters".

"I strongly condemn the criminal acts of violence committed in the villages of Qusra and Jalud," said Netanyahu, referring to the NBC news crew incident.

The United States had previously pressured Netanyahu to publicly condemn the militant settlers who had besieged Palestinians in their homes, US and Israeli officials told Reuters around two weeks ago.

The Israeli government has previously blamed a "fringe minority" for settler violence, a characterisation disputed by findings from rights groups.

A UN inquiry in June found that Israeli authorities are directly involved in settler attacks that have killed, injured and displaced Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli mission in Geneva rejected the report's findings.

Bayruti said that after calling the Israeli military for help, he and six others were trapped inside the home for more than an hour as settlers threw stones.