Israeli settlers besieging Palestinian families in West Bank village

Israeli settlers have been besieging two Palestinian families in their homes in the occupied West Bank since Sunday, with the families saying their supplies were running out and rights groups urging the authorities to step in.

On Wednesday Israeli security forces were reported to have withdrawn from the Jewish settler outpost in the village of Qusra near Nablus, following clashes with a crowd of extremist settlers. About a dozen settlers are said to remain at the site.

After the Palestinian homeowners made their initial report to the Israeli army, the first soldiers who arrived at the scene were filmed praying with the settlers.

The Abu Ridi and Hassan families have been posting on social media appealing for help after their water and power supplies were cut off and their food stocks ran low.

The latest developments come as a top UN official told the Security Council in New York on Tuesday that "the West Bank is at breaking point".

All settlements are illegal under international law. Outposts are set up without official Israeli authorisation.

Palestinian security camera footage shows settlers tearing down a wall outside the Abu Ridi family's home on Sunday evening and using the stones to block the road.

This left seven people - including two young girls – unable to leave their homes while other Palestinians could not reach them. They live in what is known as Area B, part of the West Bank under Palestinian administrative control and Israeli security control.