Three yellow ambulances parked at scene of West Bank shooting incident (24/07/26). It was the deadliest incident of its kind in the West Bank for months.
At least four Palestinians and two Israelis have been killed in a shooting in the occupied West Bank – the deadliest single incident there in months.
Sources differ on the chain of events in the village of Tal. Palestinian journalists say residents confronted a group of about 30 Jewish settlers who were assaulting homes, before Israeli soldiers arrived and began firing. The Palestinian foreign ministry also reported that several Palestinians were wounded.
Israel's military said the attackers stole a security guard’s gun, setting the guard dead, and then shot at Israeli hikers reportedly coming under attack. The IDF later confirmed the death of a 27‑year‑old soldier in the area and that soldiers had gone to Tal following a report of an Israeli civilian attack.
The IDF stated it was preparing for a major operation in the area and had cancelled soldiers’ leave. It claimed Palestinians started the attack, while local Fatah leader Essam Saifi said settlers opened fire first and then Israeli forces also engaged.
Witness Ahmed Zeidan described the morning escalation: locals confronted settlers, clashed hand‑to‑hand, then gunfire erupted. The Israeli ambulance service reported two Israeli civilians wound, but no further injuries were noted.
Palestinian authorities condemned the "massacre" in Tal as a direct result of settler terrorism backed by Israeli occupation forces and called for accountability. The Palestinian foreign ministry blamed Israel for providing protection and impunity to settlers.
Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting with security officials and sent reinforcements near the settlement of Havat Gilad. He vowed to act "with full force against the terrorists". The area has seen a spike in settler attacks since the Gaza conflict began on 7 October 2023.
UN data show 1,114 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, largely by the IDF, with at least 35 deaths by settlers. Israel, meanwhile, has recorded 41 Israeli deaths in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations in the same period.
The West Bank hosts about 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews, while 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them in land that Palestinians claim for a future state. The settlements are deemed illegal under international law.
The incident demonstrates the perilous cycle of violence that continues to erupt in the West Bank, demanding urgent attention from the international community.
