Overview
- The confrontation in the village of Tell on Friday left four Palestinian villagers and two Israelis dead and wounded others during an exchange between armed settlers, villagers and Israeli forces.
- Accounts of how the violence began differ with Israeli officials saying a Palestinian seized a settler or security weapon and opened fire while Palestinian witnesses say armed settlers stormed the village and soldiers and settlers fired on residents.
- The Israel Defense Forces canceled soldiers’ leave, imposed curfews and launched a large counterterror operation that included house raids, a hospital raid and the detention of roughly 70 to 80 Palestinians from Tell and nearby areas.
- Following the killings, hundreds of settlers carried out reprisals in multiple villages with arson, burned cars and attacks on homes while senior Israeli ministers publicly called for demolitions, expulsions and faster settlement approvals.
- Rights groups, UN bodies and Palestinian officials warn the surge in settler attacks this year is worsening civilian harm and shrinking protections for Palestinians and say the current crackdown risks wider escalation across the West Bank.