Israel PM vows to act ‘with force’ after deadly violence in West Bank

NABLUS, Palestinian Territories – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on July 24 to respond firmly after an Israeli was killed in violence in the occupied West Bank that also killed four Palestinians.

The incident occurred near the settlement of Havat Gilad and the neighbouring Palestinian village of Tel, in the territory occupied by Israel since 1967 where violence has surged since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

“Four people were killed and four others were wounded, including three in critical condition, in Tel,” the Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry said.

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency services reported that a man in his 30s was pronounced dead near the settlement of Havat Gilad.

Two other people, in their 20s, were evacuated by helicopter with gunshot wounds, one of whom was in a serious condition.

Walid Zidan, head of Tel village council, told AFP that about 20 Israeli settlers entered the village at around 8.30am.

“Villagers came out to defend their homes and property. Clashes and physical altercations broke out between the residents and the settlers,” Zidan said.

“Israeli soldiers were present and together with the settlers began opening fire ... it was the settlers who stormed the village, with the intention of killing, vandalising and setting property on fire.”

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned what it described as a “massacre committed by settlers in partnership with the occupation forces in the village of Tel”.

Grieving relatives gathered at two hospitals in the city of Nablus, where the victims’ bodies were taken, an AFP journalist reported.

Soldiers deployed

The Israeli military said it had deployed soldiers after reports of an attack against Israeli civilians who were hiking near Havat Gilad.

According to the military, the attackers seized the weapon of a member of the security forces who had arrived at the scene and opened fire on the hikers.

An AFP journalist said roadblocks had been set up around the scene, while the military said it was still searching for the attackers.

Netanyahu promised in a statement to “act with full force against the terrorists and those who orchestrate and sponsor them”.

He said he would convene a meeting of security officials.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also vowed that “terror will not prevail”.

“In the face of murderous terror seeking to harm our lives and our security, we must stand united and resolute,” he said in a statement.

Israel’s military chief Eyal Zamir ordered additional troops deployed to the area and instructed forces to “apprehend the terrorists involved in the attack”, the military said.

Violence in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, has surged since the start of the war in Gaza.

Excluding east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank alongside around three million Palestinians.

All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.

Official Israeli figures show at least 47 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations since the start of the Gaza war.

According to an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,094 Palestinians, including both militants and civilians, over the same period. AFP