Israeli forces detained dozens of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Saturday following a deadly shootout near the village of Tal, southwest of Nablus, that left four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers dead after an encounter involving armed Israeli settlers.
Palestinian officials said Friday’s incident began after Israeli settlers entered the village and attempted to attack residents. The Israeli military initially described the Israelis involved as hikers but later confirmed that some were armed, adding that both sides exchanged gunfire before troops intervened.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to take “powerful action” in response to the incident, including demolishing the home of the family of one of the Palestinians involved. His office also said he would fast-track approval for additional Israeli settlement construction in the area.
Tal Mayor Walid Zidan said around 70 residents had been detained and questioned at a field interrogation centre set up in a home in the village. He added that between 10 and 12 people had been released by Saturday.
Zidan said house raids were ongoing, with army patrols moving through the streets, while residents remained unable to move freely.
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers live among millions of Palestinians in the West Bank, a territory captured by Israel during the 1967 war. Most countries and United Nations bodies consider Israeli settlements there illegal under international law, a position Israel rejects, citing historical and religious ties to the land.
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Recent months have witnessed a sharp rise in attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian communities across the West Bank.
Friday’s confrontation occurred in Area A of the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority exercises administrative control and Israeli civilians are prohibited from entering under Israeli law. Area A accounts for less than one-fifth of the territory.
Unverified footage circulating on social media appeared to show a confrontation between Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents in Tal, with at least two Israelis seen pushing and striking Palestinians with rifle stocks. The footage appears to show one Palestinian taking hold of a weapon before being shot.
Audio from the video captures voices in Hebrew, including calls to “shoot him,” while a child’s voice can be heard shouting “revenge.” The footage has not been independently verified, and the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain disputed by the two sides.
Israel’s army chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, said the security operation launched after the shooting was aimed at “thwarting terrorism, ensuring the security of Israeli civilians and preventing further escalation.” Zidan said the incident was triggered by Israeli settlers who deliberately entered the village to provoke residents.
“The settlers were not following a route or trail, as they claim. They intended to attack the homes,” he said. “People did not go there looking for a confrontation with them; they were simply defending their homes.”
The increase in settler attacks on Palestinian villages in the West Bank has drawn condemnation from international organizations and several European countries, but has so far done little to halt the trend.
Reuters
