Israel Has Launched A Huge Military Operation In The West Bank, Raiding Towns And Arresting Palestinians
Palestinian authorities said the settlers had provoked the shooting by trying to attack villagers.
Israel has launched a large-scale operation across the occupied West Bank, raiding towns and villages and detaining hundreds of Palestinians, after a shootout between illegal Israeli settlers, Israeli soldiers and Palestinians villagers killed four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers.
The latest escalation began on Friday, July 24, when about 20 Israeli settlers, many carrying rifles, entered Tal village, near Nablus, in "Area A" of the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority holds administrative control.
Israeli civilians are barred under Israeli law from entering Area A.
Israel initially said the group were hikers but later acknowledged that some carried weapons and said both sides had opened fire before troops intervened, according to Reuters.
Palestinian authorities said the settlers had provoked the shooting by trying to attack villagers.
Videos showed a struggle over a settler’s rifle before the shooting began, although Palestinians and Israeli authorities dispute how the incident unfolded.
Israel called it a terrorist attack, while Tal village council head Walid Zidan said residents were defending their community because the settlers “intended to attack the homes.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a "wide-scale military operation" across the occupied West Bank in response to the deaths of the soldiers.
Israeli forces raided Tal and arrested 30 people there, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Israeli forces also set up checkpoints, restricted movement, searched homes and carried out arrests in Nablus, Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron, Bethlehem, Tulkarem and surrounding villages.
Palestinian reports said at least 66 people were arrested on July 26 alone.
Israel said its forces searched more than 300 locations and detained more than 70 people, according to AP.
Israel also began preparing the family homes of Palestinians accused of involvement in the shooting for possible demolition.
Netanyahu's office said he would accelerate the approval of construction of more Israeli settlements in the area as he vowed to take "powerful action" in response to the incident.
Since then, settler violence has been increasing, with settlers attacking Palestinian communities and attempting to burn mosques in Qusra and Kour.
Attackers sprayed “Jewish revenge” on the Qusra mosque, while Palestinians reported attacks on homes, residents and farmland.
Palestinian officials accused Israel of collective punishment and failing to hold violent settlers accountable.
Since Israel began its genocide in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian villages in the West Bank have sharply increased.
By July 23, the UN had recorded more than 1,330 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage across 250 Palestinian communities in 2026.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,185 Palestinians in the West Bank since then, including more than 250 Palestinian children, according to Al Jazeera.
More than 24,000 Palestinians have been detained, and as of July 1, 9,299 Palestinians remained in Israeli jails, more than 3,000 of them held without charge.
More On Israel's Genocide In Gaza
Ikran Dahir
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
