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Tell clash kills six
Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed in a confrontation near the village of Tell, southwest of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank on Friday, after Israeli forces and settlers confronted Palestinians.
“The Israeli military has launched “counterterrorism” operations and ordered a curfew in the occupied West Bank following an outbreak of violence in which six people were killed”
Sky News said the circumstances of the clash were unclear, adding that Israeli media reports and local Palestinian officials suggested the shootout happened after a group of settlers entered the village on Friday morning and were confronted by residents.
The Israeli military said it killed a man who took a weapon from a settler from the nearby settlement of Havat Gilad, and a video confirmed by the Israeli military showed armed men in civilian clothing pointing weapons at Palestinians in a field.
PBS reported that the Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli soldiers shot and killed four Palestinians in Tell while the military reported the deaths of two soldiers, one of whom was a settler in a local defense squad, and it said two other Israelis and four more Palestinians were wounded.
Netanyahu orders raids
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would "act forcefully" following the incident, and PBS reported that Netanyahu called for more troops to the West Bank and the razing of the homes of the accused in Tell, as well as collecting weapons and revoking work permits in the village.
In a joint statement with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, Netanyahu and Katz said, "The security forces must be allowed to act freely and with full force against terrorism," as the Israeli military announced it was preparing for an "extensive" counterterror operation.
Human rights group B'Tselem warned the violence could spin out of control, with Yuli Novak saying, "Israeli violence is spreading across the West Bank, fueled by Israeli politicians openly calling for revenge," while the Israeli military said it had apprehended two during a raid in Nablus.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim said the incident took place after Israeli settlers stormed Tal under the “pretext that they were hiking in the area,” and she added that “it’s the settlers who are armed, who are provoking Palestinians and stealing their land.”
Operation and wider fallout
Multiple outlets described an escalation after the Tell confrontation, with the Israeli military preparing for "extensive counterterrorism operational activity in the sector" and canceling leave as troops set up roadblocks around Tell and Nablus.
“Israel launches military operation after deadly clash near Palestinian village By Ali Sawafta, Sinan Abu Mayzer and Eman Abouhassira TAL, West Bank, July 24 (Reuters) - Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed near a Palestinian village on Friday in a confrontation that added to a growing toll over recent weeks as Israeli settler violence has intensified against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank”
Al-Monitor quoted Major General Avi Bluth saying, "there is concern about escalation throughout Judea and Samaria," and it said Israel was carrying out counterterrorism operations to prevent the area from spiraling into further violence.
The Guardian reported that during reprisals on nearby Palestinian towns, settlers set fire to houses and attacked local people, and it said the Israeli military planned to apprehend "dozens of Palestinians" involved in the incident while troops surrounded Nablus and entered a hospital to arrest those wounded.
The Guardian also reported that Netanyahu and Israel Katz called for more troops and the razing of the homes of the accused in Tell, as well as the collection of weapons and revoking of work permits in the village, while it said the Palestinian foreign ministry condemned what it described as a "massacre committed by settlers in partnership with the occupation forces in the village of Tell."
