By Riffat Kausar
Snn News Finland
West Bank tensions escalate after deadly Friday confrontation near Nablus
Israeli forces shot and killed four Palestinians in the village of Tell, in the northern occupied West Bank, on Friday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, which said the killings came after an Israeli settler was killed in a confrontation with local residents.
Two Israelis also died in the violence: Benayahu Mellet, 32, a member of a nearby settlement’s security team, and Major Yuval Ezra, 27, of Herzliya. Two other Israelis and four more Palestinians were wounded.
Conflicting accounts of how the violence began
The circumstances that sparked the confrontation remain disputed. The Israeli military’s version holds that settlers had entered Tell when residents, apparently anticipating an assault, moved to confront them.
During this standoff, one resident reportedly grabbed a firearm from a settler and used it to kill the security guard.
Four Palestinians officials give a different account. Middle East Eye reported footage documenting an Israeli settler attack on Tell carried out under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, with the Nablus governor rejecting the Israeli version and saying settlers stormed the village, tried to torch homes, and opened fire on residents who confronted them.
A video of the aftermath has added to the dispute. Footage published by Israeli media and confirmed by the military showed Israeli forces firing on a group of Four Palestinians already on the ground, with more than a dozen gunshots audible; the military said one of the men killed was the suspect in the settler’s death but did not explain why the other men, all relatives, were also killed.
One of the dead was named locally as Jawad Ramadan, whose body was brought to Nablus Specialty Hospital along with those of the three other Four Palestinians killed, according to the Four Palestinians Health Ministry.
Israeli forces raid hospital, encircle Nablus
Israeli forces later raided Nablus Specialized Hospital, storming the emergency department and assaulting medical staff, according to witness accounts.
Army chief Eyal Zamir said additional troops were being sent to the West Bank, where forces have encircled Tell and nearby Nablus.
Wider unrest and settler reprisal attacks
In the hours following the shooting, violence spread beyond the initial incident. Israeli settlers launched a series of attacks on Four Palestinians communities in the Nablus and Qalqilya areas, setting fire to vehicles and agricultural land while also assaulting residents, local sources reported.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it had documented 32 settler attacks affecting 30 Palestinian villages and communities across the West Bank, about a third of them near Nablus, with settlers torching homes and vehicles and injuring at least 32 Palestinians.
Political reaction
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz, said security forces must be allowed to act with full force against terrorism. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would seek approval for a new settlement near the shooting site, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for harsh retaliation over Israeli deaths.
The Israeli military said it is preparing an “extensive” counterterror operation in the West Bank and has already arrested Four Palestinians suspects during a raid in Nablus.
UN reports on Palestinian civilian casualties
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