Four Palestinians killed in settler attack on occupied West Bank town
At least four Palestinians have been killed and several others wounded after Israeli settlers, backed by Israeli forces, carried out a series of violent attacks on the occupied West Bank town of Tal, southwest of Nablus.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said at least four others were also injured, three of them critically.
Residents said Israeli settlers from the nearby settlement of Havat Gilad entered Tal earlier on Friday and opened fire as Palestinians confronted them after they approached homes in the town.
Essam Saifi, a local Fatah official in Tal, said dozens of settlers first entered the eastern part of the town and attempted to break into two houses. Residents confronted them, and the settlers opened fire, he said.
About 30 minutes later, Saifi said, the settlers returned and attacked the western part of the town, where a child was struck with a weapon. Israeli soldiers then arrived and opened fire alongside the settlers, he added.
Following the incident, Israeli forces sealed off the area around Nablus and Tal.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the deaths brought the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the start of the year to 86, including 21 killed by extremist Israeli settlers.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the killings, calling them a "massacre", saying that Israeli authorities and settlers have been acting in coordination.
Separately, Israeli authorities said one Israeli settler was killed and others were wounded in the area.
Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said one Israeli was killed and two others were evacuated by helicopter.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene an emergency meeting to discuss the incident.
Hawkish far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich called on the military to respond with an "iron fist" against the Palestinian town and surrounding area where the Israeli was killed.
According to a report released on July 6 by the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, settlers conducted 3,488 attacks in the first half of the year.
The attacks included raids on Palestinian villages, arson of homes, shootings, land seizures, and the establishment of settlement outposts, leading to the deaths of 17 Palestinians.
Approximately 750,000 settlers inhabit 141 unauthorized settlements and 224 settlement outposts throughout the occupied West Bank, which includes around 250,000 individuals in occupied East al-Quds.
Since October 2023, the occupied West Bank has experienced a rise in assaults by the Israeli army and settlers. Official Palestinian statistics indicate that these attacks have resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Palestinians, nearly 13,000 injuries, and the abduction of approximately 24,000 Palestinians.
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