At least four Palestinians and two Israelis have been killed in a shooting in the occupied West Bank, the deadliest incident there in months. There are conflicting accounts about the sequence of events in the northern town of Tal. Palestinian sources told the BBC that residents confronted Jewish settlers who were attacking them when Israeli
At least four Palestinians and two Israelis have been killed in a shooting in the occupied West Bank, the deadliest incident there in months.
There are conflicting accounts about the sequence of events in the northern town of Tal. Palestinian sources told the BBC that residents confronted Jewish settlers who were attacking them when Israeli soldiers arrived and started shooting. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said several other Palestinians were wounded.
Israel’s military said “terrorists stole the gun” of a security guard who was later killed before shooting at Israeli hikers who had reported being attacked.
He later announced that an Israeli soldier had also been killed, but gave no details.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was preparing for a major operation in the area and had canceled soldiers’ leave.
Violence has increased in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in 2023 following the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Ahmed Zeidan, a witness, told the BBC that the latest incident began early in the morning, when Tal residents rushed to confront about 30 settlers attacking Palestinian homes.
He said hand-to-hand clashes broke out in the presence of Israeli soldiers, before escalating to gunfights between settlers and youths.
A local leader of the ruling Fatah party, Essam Saifi, told the Reuters news agency that the settlers opened fire before Israeli forces arrived and also began shooting.
He said two brothers and two of his cousins were among those killed.
The IDF said the Palestinians began the attack.
He said soldiers had gone to Tal after receiving a report of an attack on Israeli civilians walking in the area. A security guard at a nearby settler post went to the scene, but a Palestinian stole his gun and shot and killed him, he said.
Soldiers then “eliminated the terrorist who carried out the terrorist attack,” the army added.
He later claimed that a 27-year-old soldier “fell during operational activity in the town area.”
The Israeli ambulance service said two Israelis were also injured.
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