The Hamas resistance movement has condemned a violent attack by extremist Israeli settlers on volunteers participating in agricultural activities near the Palestinian village of Qusra in the northern West Bank, describing it as an act of terrorism.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the resistance group condemned the assault, in which six people were injured, after masked assailants targeted activists in al-Lubban al-Sharqiya village, located 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) south of Nablus. The assailants hurled stones at the volunteers, beat others with clubs, and stole harvested olives.

“The criminal attack, which resulted in the burning of more than 100 vehicles, dozens of olive trees, warehouses, and other structures, and caused extensive damage to local property, constitutes a blatant terrorist attack and a crime that is reprehensible by any standard,” the statement read.

It added that the assault “also represents a new chapter in the brutal settlement expansion, in a desperate attempt to break the resilience and steadfastness of our Palestinian people and to impose plans for annexation and forced displacement.”

Hamas also warned of the seriousness of the attack and the broader pattern of daily settler assaults and crimes, carried out under the direct protection of Israeli forces.

“We hold the occupying regime fully responsible for the consequences of this organized terrorism, and confirm that our Palestinian people and their resistance will not stand idly by in the face of these escalating attacks. The policies of oppression and aggression will not succeed in breaking their will or depriving them of their rights,” the resistance movement noted.

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Hamas paid tribute to the residents of al-Lubban al-Sharqiya village for standing their ground, defending their village, and supporting one another in the face of settler aggression, commending their unity, solidarity, and honorable steadfastness.

“We call upon our Palestinian people, as well as the national and Muslim forces, to strengthen their solidarity on the ground to counter these repeated attacks and work to deter the settlers, and curb their ongoing encroachment,” it stated.

Hamas urged the international community, the United Nations, and human rights and humanitarian organizations to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities by taking serious and effective measures to end escalating settler terrorism and hold Israeli leaders and settlers accountable for the grave crimes and violations committed against Palestinians, their land, and holy sites.

According to official Palestinian figures, approximately 750,000 Israeli settlers reside in 194 illegal settlements and 400 unauthorized outposts throughout the occupied West Bank, which includes East al-Quds.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion declaring that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories as unlawful.

Since the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have carried out 62,916 attacks against Palestinians, their lands, and properties in the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds, according to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), which monitors settlement activity.

In June, 14 UN special rapporteurs cautioned that the alarming increase in “settler terrorism,” which is conducted with the backing and complicity of Israeli officials in the occupied Palestinian territories, constitutes a grave threat to the Palestinian communities.