TELL, West Bank: Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Monday, spray-painting offensive phrases and setting a fire, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Affairs Ministry. Worshippers coming for the first prayers of the day found the damage and a still smoldering fire, which spewed black smoke across the entrance of the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque in the town of Tell, near Nablus, and stained the ornate doorway. “I was shocked when I opened the door,” said Munir Ramdan, who lives near the mosque.

Footage from the scene shows the entrance of the mosque charred, with racist slogans sprayed on its walls

Israeli settlers attempted to torch a mosque in the West Bank, prompting condemnation from local officials and increasing tensions.