Palestinian Mohammad Salameh was erecting a residence for his family in the West Bank, where his recently engaged son planned to begin married life. Instead, before work finished, a group of settlers took over the property.

Video recorded earlier in the week and verified by Reuters showed at least six Israeli citizens from the West Bank moving on the roof of the two-story house, which lies below a nearby hill.

Salameh said appeals to the IDF and police brought no assistance. Now he fears his home, like many others in the Palestinian territory surrounded by settlements and smaller outposts, is lost forever. Other houses in the area could face the same outcome, he said.

"Only God knows, if there is law and order then they will leave," Salameh said. "If they succeeded with taking one, then the rest will follow."

Reuters was unable to reach the Israeli citizens for comment. One of them could be seen walking on the house roof on Thursday.

Palestinians report Israeli settlers annexing residences

The IDF said it received a report about the house earlier this week and that "soldiers arrived to the area and quickly acted to disperse the gathering." It did not comment on the settlers continued presence in the house.

The military said law enforcement regarding actions by settlers in the West Bank is the responsibility of Israel's police, which did not respond to a request for comment.

Palestinians have for years reported damage to farmland, vandalism and attacks linked to settlement expansion. A UN inquiry reported last month that settler attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural land had surged since 2023, rising by 130%.

Residents of Jalud, Salameh village, say this week incident marks another troubling escalation because the settlers seized a house that was still under construction.

"They have now moved down to within no more than 100 meters from the last house in Jalud, which is also a house under construction belonging to a resident," said Raed al-Haj Mohammad, head of the village council.

Jalud has faced five major settler attacks, he said, including the burning of homes, damage to vehicles and the uprooting of trees.

Notably, settlement expansion has accelerated under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu government. According to Bikom, Israeli officials have issued 114 military orders establishing, expanding, or dividing settlement jurisdiction areas since October 2023, roughly the same number as over the previous 22 years combined.

For Salameh, the dispute is painfully personal. Construction on the house stalled after the Gaza war erupted in 2023, when his son could not find work and the family finances came under strain.

"The neighbor close by has built a two-story house, which they will probably take too; if we lose this house (his), they will lose theirs," he said.