Israeli settlers torched and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village in the central West Bank early Thursday, scribbling hateful messages in a show of defiance a day after some Israeli leaders condemned a surge of violence.

One wall of the mosque in the Palestinian town of Deir Istiya had been torched when an AP reporter arrived Thursday, as well as at least three copies of the Quran and some of the carpeting.

On one side of the mosque settlers had left graffitied messages like “we are not afraid. We will revenge again,” and “keep on condemning.”

The Hebrew scrawl, difficult to make out, appeared to reference Maj. Gen Avi Bluth, the chief of the military’s Central Command who issued a rare denunciation of the violence Tuesday.

"Upon arriving at the mosque at dawn, I found the mosque's door broken, fires set inside, and racist slogans painted by groups of settlers," Ahmed Salman, the Imam of the mosque said.

It was the latest in a string of attacks that have provoked expressions of concern from top officials, military leaders and the Trump administration.

Soldiers from Israel's military, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, were present at the scene.

Palestinians and rights groups say the settler violence in the West Bank is widespread and carried out by settlers across the territory, with impunity from Israel's far-right government, lead by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has not commented on the surge in violence.

AP video produced by Jalal Bwaitel