At least four Palestinians and two Israelis have been killed in a shooting in the occupied West Bank, in the deadliest single incident there in months. The shooting took place in the northern village of Tal, where there are conflicting accounts of how events unfolded.
Palestinians told the BBC that residents confronted Jewish settlers who were attacking them. An eyewitness said soldiers then arrived and started shooting. Israel's military said it had responded to reports that hikers had been attacked. It said
terrorists stole the weaponof a security guard and killed him.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later said a soldier had also been killed, but did not give details. The IDF has not explained who killed the other Palestinians. The force says it is preparing for a major operation in the area and has cancelled soldiers' leave.
What happened in Tal?
Ahmed Zeidan, an eyewitness, told the BBC the latest incident began early in the morning, when locals in Tal rushed to confront about 30 settlers who were attacking Palestinian homes. He said hand-to-hand clashes broke out in the presence of Israeli soldiers.
A local leader of the ruling Fatah party, Essam Saifi, told news agency that settlers opened fire before Israeli forces arrived and also started shooting. He said two brothers and two of their cousins were among those killed. Palestinian officials said several other Palestinians were wounded.
The IDF said Palestinians began the attack. It said soldiers had gone to Tal following a report of an attack on Israeli civilians who were hiking in the area. A security guard from a nearby settler outpost had gone to the scene and had his gun snatched by a Palestinian who used against the Israelis, killing him.
Soldiers then
eliminated the terrorist who executed the terror attack, the IDF added.
It later said a 27-year-old soldier
fell during operational activity in the area of the village. The circumstances of his death remain unclear. The Israeli ambulance service said two Israelis were also wounded.
How have Palestinian officials responded?
The Palestinian foreign ministry said it
condemns in the strongest terms the massacrein Tal. It said
the escalation of settler terrorism is a direct consequence of the protection, political backing, and complete impunity granted by the Israeli government and occupation forces.
Official Israeli incitement continues to fuel and encourage these crimes, creating an environment in which settler violence flourishes without accountability, it added.
An AFP reporter at the site, south-west of Nablus, said roadblocks had been set up and troops were searching for additional suspects.
What has Israel said it will do?
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to act
with full force against the terrorists and those who orchestrate and sponsor them. He called an emergency meeting with security officials, and reinforcements have been sent to the area, close to the settlement of Havat Gilad.
There has been a surge in attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
What do UN figures say about the wider conflict?
Since October 2023, 1,114 Palestinians have been killed there, the vast majority by the IDF, the UN says. It says at least 35 of the deaths have involved attacks by settlers.
The UN says 41 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war.
Israel has built about 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem - land Palestinians want, along with Gaza, for a hoped-for future state - during the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them. The settlements are illegal under international law.
Key Facts
- At least four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed in Tal, in the occupied West Bank.
- The IDF said it responded to reports of attacks on hikers and that a security guard was killed after his weapon was taken.
- Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would act
with full force against the terrorists and those who orchestrate and sponsor them
. - The UN says 1,114 Palestinians and 41 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023.
- Israel has built about 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
