Settlers torch two West Bank mosques, Israel arrests dozens after deadly Tal clash

Friday's lethal clash

On Friday 24 July, around 30 Israeli settlers entered the Palestinian village of Tal near Nablus and tried to break into two houses, according to local officials. Residents confronted them, and the settlers opened fire. In the exchange, four Palestinians were killed and four more wounded. Two Israelis also died: Benayahu Mellet, a member of the civilian security squad from the nearby settlement of Havat Gilad, and Major Yuval Ezra, an Israeli army officer dispatched to the scene. Palestinian witnesses said the group entered without coordination with the army and had attacked the village beforehand. The Israeli military later confirmed it was investigating whether one of the Israelis was killed by friendly fire.

Settler revenge attacks

In the hours following the shootout, groups of settlers attacked several Palestinian villages. Overnight Saturday, attackers set fire to the newly built Al-Rahma mosque in Qusra, southeast of Nablus, and a mosque in the village of Kour, south of Tulkarem. In Qusra, the interior was gutted and slogans including "revenge Benayahu" and "the land of Israel is redeemed with blood" were spray-painted on the walls. In Kour, three people in civilian clothes were seen on security footage setting off an explosion at the mosque entrance; worshippers managed to extinguish the flames before they spread to the main hall. Graffiti there read "Jewish blood is not cheap." Residents also reported fields and vehicles burned.

Ahmed Abu Mahmoud, a 64-year-old neighbour of the Qusra mosque, said he heard noises at 3 a.m. and discovered the fire but could not fight it alone. He said soldiers arrived but left without intervening.

The military arrived here saw with their own eyes and then left.

Wide-scale military operation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a wide-scale operation across the West Bank in retaliation for the soldiers' deaths. On Sunday, Israeli forces stormed towns and villages, imposing strict traffic restrictions and checkpoints. Nearly 50 Palestinians were arrested in Tal alone, where soldiers searched about 70 homes, with further detentions in Ramallah (14), Jenin (5) and Hebron (8). Soldiers raided Rafidia, Huwara, and many communities in the Jenin governorate, including Zababdeh, Yabad, and Qabatiya. The army also sealed the homes of two militants suspected of involvement in the Friday killings, preparing them for demolition.

Netanyahu told journalists:

Go into the towns, search them, seize the weapons and carry out arrests.

The Israeli military condemned the mosque arson and said two suspects had been detained. The army often announces investigations into violence against Palestinians but rarely prosecutes those involved.

The security forces strongly condemn incidents of this kind, including harm to religious sites, and will continue to act decisively to maintain security and public order in the area.

The blockade severed access to hospitals. Two women gave birth inside vehicles because they were denied passage, the rights group Physicians for Human Rights reported. The Palestinian Prisoner's Society said at least 80 people were held across the West Bank the day after the incident, calling the raids "collective punishment." Funerals for the four Palestinians killed in Tal were held before dawn under attendance restrictions.

Protest in Tel Aviv

On Saturday evening, hundreds gathered on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv to protest settler violence and Israeli military rule. Organised by the left-wing Hadash party and the Mothers Against Violence group, the demonstration drew over 200 people. Police said the protest was unauthorised and had begun to "disrupt public order and block the roadway," arresting nine participants.