Pope Leo calls for end to violence against Palestinians amid surge in West Bank settler attacks

Pope Leo XIV has called for an end to violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, amid a surge of settler attacks, including a siege in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, and a separate assault on the small village of Al-Tuba, in the southern Masafer Yatta region.

In Qusra, settlers encircled houses after cutting off water and electricity, in what rights groups say is a bid to seize more land. In Al-Tuba, settlers set fire to homes on the night of Wednesday 5 August, in what residents described as an unprovoked attack.

"I renew my appeal for an end to the repeated violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank," the Pope said after noon prayers at Castel Gandolfo, his residence outside Rome.

He also urged the international community to advance a two-state solution "for a fair and lasting peace".