Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers killed in West Bank clashes, Netanyahu orders new settler outposts
Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in the village of Tell after settlers entered the area, sparking clashes that also left two Israeli soldiers dead. Prime Minister Netanyahu responded by ordering new settlement outposts and a major military operation.
What happened
On the morning of 24 July, a group of about 20 to 30 Israeli settlers entered the Palestinian village of Tell, near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Residents, fearing an attack, confronted them. Eyewitness Ahmed Zeidan told the BBC that locals rushed to confront the settlers who were attacking homes. Hand-to-hand clashes broke out in the presence of Israeli soldiers, and the situation quickly escalated into gunfire.
Villagers came out to defend their homes and property. Clashes and physical altercations broke out between the residents and the settlers... it was the settlers who stormed the village, with the intention of killing, vandalising and setting property on fire.
According to the Israeli military, one of the Palestinians seized a weapon from a settler and shot dead Benayahu Mellet, a 32-year-old security guard from the nearby Havat Gilad outpost. Soldiers then opened fire, killing four Palestinians. Video footage confirmed by the military showed armed men in civilian clothing and at least one soldier pointing weapons at Palestinians, then rushing at them. A separate video showed Israeli forces firing on Palestinians who were already on the ground. A local Fatah leader, Essam Saifi, said settlers opened fire before Israeli forces arrived and also started shooting.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported four dead and four wounded. The Israeli military said two soldiers were killed, one of whom was a settler in a local defence squad, and two other Israelis were wounded. Some reports, including the BBC, described one Israeli fatality, the security guard.
- About 20–30 settlers enter Tell village, attacking homes; residents confront them.
- Hand-to-hand fighting breaks out in the presence of Israeli soldiers.
- A Palestinian seizes a settler's weapon and shoots, killing security guard Benayahu Mellet, 32.
- Israeli soldiers open fire, killing four Palestinians; two other Israelis and four Palestinians wounded.
- Netanyahu orders new outposts, home demolitions; Smotrich calls for village evacuations; IDF prepares major operation.
Arrests and military escalation
Shortly after the killings, Israeli troops entered a hospital in Nablus and arrested two men who had been injured in the clash, as well as one of their brothers. The military confirmed the arrests, saying the men had taken part in the violence. Army chief Eyal Zamir ordered additional troops to the West Bank, and the IDF announced it was preparing for an "extensive" counter-terror operation, cancelling soldiers' leave and encircling Tell and Nablus.
Political reactions
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz, demanded more troops, the demolition of homes of accused individuals in Tell, the collection of weapons, and the revocation of work permits for the village.
The security forces must be allowed to act freely and with full force against terrorism.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich went further, calling for the villages of Tell, Iraq Burin, and Beit Furik to "look exactly like the refugee camps in Nablus and Tulkarm", a reference to mass demolitions last year that displaced tens of thousands. He urged the evacuation of the population and the clearing of "terrorist infrastructure".
Netanyahu also ordered the establishment of new settler outposts and the acceleration of legalising existing farm outposts, a move that drew sharp criticism given that all Israeli settlements in the occupied territory are illegal under international law. Outposts, often set up overnight with mobile homes, are also illegal under Israeli law.
Broader context
Violence in the West Bank has surged since the Gaza war began with Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers now live in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, alongside a Palestinian population of around three million. The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements an obstacle to peace. Friday's incident was the deadliest single clash in the West Bank in months.
