“Residents of the town feel there is US diplomatic contact after the attack, but this contact has not yet translated into tangible practical measures on the ground to stop the attacks,” he added.
They almost burned me
Yasser Rashid, a 92-year-old resident of the town, told Anadolu that he was inside the mosque after sunset prayers, where worshippers were reciting the Quran while waiting for evening prayers, before the events began to unfold.
Rashid, who holds US citizenship, said that about 10 minutes after sunset prayers ended, he heard noises outside, prompting him to go to a mosque window to check what was happening.
“I opened the window and saw an occupier with a gasoline container. Then he sprayed it on my face and clothes, then lit the fire. The fire immediately caught at the window, and I quickly moved back,” he said.
“If I had stayed in my place for a moment, I would have burned,” Rashid said, adding that flames spread around the window.
“Those inside the mosque later managed to control and extinguish the fire before it spread further, it all happened suddenly and very dangerously,” he said.
“The attack was not isolated, but coincided with other attacks in different parts of the town, where vehicles parked in streets and in front of homes were targeted, including my own vehicle, which caught fire,” Rashid continued.
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“The town witnessed a state of chaos during the attack, and the occupiers were moving at more than one point, causing the attacks to spread simultaneously,” he said.
Among the settlers, Rashid said, were teenagers between the ages of 15 and 16.
We are steadfast and will not leave
Rashid said he has held US citizenship for many years and lives between the United States and Deir Dibwan, spending long periods in the town.
He stressed that moving between the two places has not changed his connection to the town, saying his whole life is tied to it.
“The town has faced repeated Israeli attacks recently, including the burning of vehicles, attacks on homes and fires set on farmland,” Rashid said.
Despite his age, Rashid voiced his attachment to his homeland.
“We are steadfast here. We will die on this land and will not leave it,” he said, stressing residents’ determination to remain despite the attacks and losses they face.
“What happened inside the mosque is a dangerous escalation because it targeted a place of worship while worshippers were inside, and this crosses every line,” he said.
“Sunday’s attack was not the first, Deir Dibwan had faced similar attacks before, including attempts to burn vehicles, attacks on worshippers and the closure of the area around the mosque,” Rashid added.
The occupied West Bank has seen a continued escalation in illegal settler attacks on Palestinian villages and communities, including the burning of homes, vehicles and farmland, and assaults on residents, especially in areas near settlements and settlement outposts.
Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, the Israeli army and settlers have killed at least 1,169 Palestinians in the West Bank, wounded 12,666 others, arrested about 23,000 and displaced 33,000, according to official Palestinian figures.
