Israeli army tells Palestinians to leave homes in village where settlers besieged houses - BBC News

The mayor of Qusra says Israeli troops have been telling families to leave their houses, using some as barracks.

Image source, EPAImage caption, The Israeli military said the aim of the operation was to protect the residents

About a dozen Palestinian households in a village in the occupied West Bank were told to leave their properties during an Israeli military operation to remove Israeli settlers.

The settlers had besieged residents in three homes in the area since Sunday, cutting off their power and water supplies.

Qusra Mayor, Abdel Azim Wadi, told the BBC that his village had been declared a closed military zone - and Israeli forces were using some of the vacated Palestinian houses as barracks. The Israeli military said the aim was "to protect the residents".

An Israeli spokesman told the BBC the settlers' action was "deplorable" and "unacceptable" and the government would investigate and arrest those responsible.