Overview
- A chaotic confrontation on Friday, July 24, near the Palestinian village of Tell left four Palestinians and two Israeli security personnel dead after dozens of Israeli settlers entered a restricted area and clashes escalated.
- The Israeli military said it is preparing a large West Bank operation, has imposed curfews and roadblocks, canceled soldier permits, redeployed forces and detained suspects in raids that included an operation at a Nablus hospital that Palestinian officials dispute.
- Video footage the army confirmed shows armed settlers and soldiers confronting Palestinians and a man apparently taking a rifle before multiple shots were fired, but local Palestinian leaders say settlers attacked the village first and contest the army’s account that a Palestinian seized a weapon.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered accelerated legalization and creation of settlements and the demolition of the alleged attacker’s house, while far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded evictions of nearby Palestinian villages.
- Humanitarian and rights groups warn the episode deepens a months-long rise in settler violence, with nearby villages reporting arson and wounded civilians and UN and Palestinian figures pointing to growing numbers of injuries and deaths this year.