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Reuters reported that four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed in a confrontation near the Palestinian village of Tal, southwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on July 24. The incident occurred in Area A, which falls under Palestinian Authority control where Israeli civilians are barred from entering. Palestinian villagers confronted a group of Israeli settlers who attempted to force their way into homes in Tal, sparking a chaotic exchange of fire that also drew in Israeli troops.
According to the Israeli military, as relayed by Reuters, the violence began when a Palestinian man seized a weapon from security personnel at the nearby Havat Gilad settlement and opened fire, wounding several Israelis before he was killed. Four Palestinians died during the ensuing clash, the military said. Troops later set up roadblocks around Tal and Nablus while pursuing those involved in the incident.
A local Palestinian leader told Reuters that 25 to 30 settlers first attacked the eastern part of Tal, tried to break into houses and opened fire when residents confronted them. The situation escalated when the settlers returned, leading to a shootout involving the military that left multiple people wounded. Essam Saifi, a Fatah official in the village, provided that account of the sequence of events.
The Israeli military announced preparations for extensive counterterrorism operational activity in the sector and canceled leave for troops, Reuters reported. Forces also raided a hospital in Nablus to apprehend two injured Palestinian men, an operation during which medical staff were assaulted, according to witnesses cited in the dispatch. The military said the two men were among those wanted in connection with the clash.
Major General Avi Bluth, commander of Israeli forces in the West Bank, expressed concern about further escalation and stated that the army was carrying out operations to prevent additional violence, Reuters said. Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for clearing Palestinian villages in the area and building new Israeli settlements in their place. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted a security assessment following the events.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has documented an average of six settler attacks per day across the West Bank in 2026, with the total surpassing 1,000 incidents by mid-year that caused casualties or property damage in more than 230 communities. OCHA data shows these attacks have displaced more than 2,200 Palestinians this year due to settler violence and related access restrictions. The pace represents a 45 percent increase compared with the first half of 2025, the UN agency reported.
In a separate incident on the same day, settlers attacked a village near Qalqilya, wounding two Palestinians, setting fire to trees and damaging cars, according to Reuters. The broader surge in settler violence has added to a rising annual toll, with the Palestinian Authority reporting 87 Palestinians killed in the West Bank so far in 2026, 21 of them by settlers, and another 850 wounded in such attacks. Israeli officials have described the operations as necessary to restore security in the wake of the Tal confrontation.
