West Bank violence claims five lives as Israel imposes security cordon

Four Palestinians were killed and four others injured, three critically, during a violent incident involving Israeli settlers and military forces in the town of Tal, located southwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the fatalities and injuries on Friday, while Israeli rescue services reported that one Israeli settler was also killed and two others were evacuated by helicopter.

Essam Saifi, a local leader from the Palestinian Fatah party, provided a detailed account of the escalation. He stated that approximately 25 to 30 Israeli settlers initially attacked the eastern area of Tal, attempting to breach two homes before opening fire on residents who confronted them. Saifi alleged that the settlers returned half an hour later to strike the western part of the town, where a child was injured with a weapon, after which the Israeli military arrived and began shooting alongside the settlers.

The Israeli military offered a contrasting narrative, stating that troops were deployed to the area near the Havat Gilad settlement following reports of an attack on hikers. According to the army, a Palestinian individual had stolen a weapon from local security personnel and fired at the Israeli settlers, prompting the military response.

Following the incident, Israeli forces imposed a strict security cordon around Nablus and Tal, effectively restricting movement and access to medical care for Palestinians. Al Jazeera reporter Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Nablus, described the settlers’ presence as occurring under the pretext of hiking, noting a pattern where temporary tents are established to later facilitate illegal settlement expansion. She highlighted that the cordon typically prevents injured Palestinians from accessing hospitals.

Political reactions were swift and polarised. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss a firm response to the death of the Israeli settler. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for an “iron fist” approach, praising settlers as the “defensive wall of the State of Israel.” The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the killings in the strongest terms, describing the event as a renewed image of the ongoing Nakba and accusing occupation authorities of coordinating crimes with settler gangs.

The death toll in Tal brings the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the start of the year to 86, including 21 shot by settlers, according to the Palestinian health ministry.