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Tell clashes kill six
Four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed in clashes in the occupied West Bank town of Tell on Friday, with the Israeli army announcing a “large-scale anti-terror operation” in the sector.
The BBC reported that Palestinians told it residents confronted Jewish settlers who were attacking them, and that an eyewitness said soldiers then arrived and started shooting.
The Israeli military said it responded to reports that hikers had been attacked, and it stated that “terrorists stole the weapon” of a security guard and killed him, before being killed by soldiers.
AFP reported that roadblocks were set up and troops were searching for additional suspects, and the IDF later said it raided a hospital in Nablus and “apprehended two terrorists who took part in the shooting attack”.
In the same incident, the IDF said it was preparing for “extensive counterterrorism operational activity in the sector” after the deaths near the settlement of Havat Gilad.
Competing accounts and vows
The BBC said there were conflicting accounts of the sequence of events in Tell, with Palestinians telling it residents confronted Jewish settlers attacking them and a witness saying soldiers arrived and started shooting.
Reuters, as quoted by the BBC, reported that a local leader of the ruling Palestinian Authority’s Fatah party, Essam Saifi, said settlers opened fire before Israeli forces arrived and also started shooting.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to act “with full force against the terrorists and those who orchestrate and sponsor them,” and he called an emergency meeting with security officials.
The BBC also reported that the IDF later said it was preparing for “extensive counterterrorism operational activity in the sector,” while the Palestinian foreign ministry said it “condemns in the strongest terms the massacre” in Tal.
In the Israeli account, the IDF said soldiers went to Tell after a report that hikers had been attacked, and it said the hike was not coordinated with them.
Legalization, raids, and escalation
After the Tell incident, Netanyahu’s office issued a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying the home of the Palestinian shooter in Tal would be demolished and that the legalisation of unauthorised settler outposts and the establishment of new ones would be speeded up.
Franceinfo reported that Netanyahu announced “the acceleration of the legalization of outposts” in settlements illegal under international law, and it said the army postponed soldiers’ leave and deployed forces in the region.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that Yair Golan accused Netanyahu and Katz of seeking to ignite the West Bank through settlement activity, saying their response to the serious incident in the Havat Gilad area is to establish more illegal outposts and create more flashpoints.
The BBC said the IDF later raided a hospital in Nablus and “apprehended two terrorists who took part in the shooting attack,” while Anadolu Ajansı said the decisions also included granting the Israeli army “freedom to operate” in the West Bank’s cities and towns.
The BBC also reported that the Palestinian foreign ministry said the escalation of settler terrorism was a direct consequence of “the protection, political backing, and complete impunity granted by the Israeli government and occupation forces,” framing the next phase as a fight over accountability and control.
