Israeli forces and settlers killed four Palestinians and two Israelis, including a soldier and a security guard, during a deadly confrontation near the village of Tell in the northern West Bank on July 24, 2026. The incident triggered a widespread military lockdown and a large-scale counterterrorism operation across the Nablus sector.
While the Israeli military maintains the clash began when a Palestinian man seized a weapon from security personnel, video footage confirmed by the military shows armed men in civilian clothing rushing Palestinians in a field, and separate footage shows soldiers firing on individuals already on the ground.
Conflicting Accounts of the Tell Confrontation
The exact sequence of events remains contested. The Israeli military reported that a Palestinian man took a weapon from security personnel from the nearby Havat Gilad settlement and opened fire, wounding several Israelis before he was killed. Among the Israeli dead was 32-year-old Benayahu Mellet, identified as a security guard in a local defense squad.
However, local Palestinian officials and Israeli media reports suggest a different catalyst: a group of settlers entered the village of Tell, prompting residents to confront them out of fear of an attack. This tension is captured in a video circulated by the military correspondent for Israel’s Army Radio, which shows two armed civilians and at least one soldier pointing weapons at Palestinians. In the footage, residents attempt to push the armed men back and appear to disarm one before opening fire.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that four Palestinians were killed. The Israeli military acknowledged killing the man suspected of seizing the weapon but did not explain why soldiers shot the other three men, all of whom were related. According to reporting from the AP, one of the deceased was identified as Jawad Ramadan.
Military Escalation and Smotrich’s Demands
In the immediate aftermath, the Israeli military established roadblocks around Tal and Nablus, canceled soldier leave, and launched what it termed extensive counterterrorism operational activity in the sector
. Army chief Eyal Zamir confirmed the deployment of additional troops to the occupied territory, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted a security assessment with the defense minister and chief of staff.
The government’s response shifted quickly from security to punitive measures. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz called for the razing of homes belonging to the accused in Tell, the collection of weapons, and the revocation of work permits for villagers. They stated that security forces must be allowed to act freely and with full force against terrorism
.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocated for a more permanent displacement of the local population. He argued that the villages of Tell, Iraq Burin, and Beit Furik should be cleared of inhabitants to make way for new settlements.
Smotrich further suggested these villages need to look exactly like the refugee camps in Nablus and Tulkarm
, referencing a mass demolition campaign that displaced tens of thousands of people in the West Bank towns the previous year.
Settler Violence and Human Rights Warnings
The Friday clash did not occur in isolation. The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that five other villages surrounding Nablus were attacked by settlers on the same day. In a separate incident near Qalqilya, settlers allegedly wounded two people and set fire to cars and trees.
B’Tselem, Rabbis for Human Rights, and Adalah have called on the international community to intervene to prevent a pogrom
in the West Bank. Yuli Novak, executive director of B’Tselem, warned that violence is being fueled by Israeli politicians openly calling for revenge
.
The scale of the risk is underscored by recent data from B’Tselem, which noted that 54 Palestinian children were shot dead in 2025 alone, the highest rate since 1967. The group asserts that nearly one in four Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since October 2023 has been a minor, a proportion they claim is the highest since the occupation began.
This volatility is compounded by the presence of at least nine farming outposts and hundreds of settlements housing 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This creates a friction point where 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside settlers in areas that are illegal under international law.
The Israeli military continues its manhunt in Nablus, reporting that it has already apprehended two individuals who participated in the incident
. The situation remains critical as the military pursues dozens more suspected of involvement.
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