Netanyahu Orders 'Firm' Military Action After Deadly West Bank Clash
Four Palestinians and one Israeli were killed in a West Bank clash. Israeli PM Netanyahu has ordered the IDF to take firm anti-terror measures, including demolishing a suspect's home and reinforcing troops.
The Palestinian health ministry reported that four Palestinians were killed and four others wounded by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Friday. Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service confirmed that an Israeli man also died in the incident near the village of Tell.
Details of the events remain unclear. Israeli and Palestinian media said Israeli settlers from Havat Gilad entered Tell and were met by locals. The Palestinian News Agency WAFA reported that the settlers "attacked the eastern part of the village" and set fire to a shop, two homes, and agricultural land.
The Israel Defense Forces stated that the Israelis were hiking in the area and that a Palestinian resident stole a weapon from a security officer who arrived at the scene and opened fire. The IDF said its forces killed the person who allegedly took the weapon. Social media video showed armed men moving toward a group of Palestinians, one seemingly disarmed, and then gunfire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the IDF to take "firm measures against terrorism." His orders include demolishing "the home of the terrorist who carried out this morning’s attack near the village of Tell," conducting "vigorous operations in villages that serve as centres of terrorism," and reinforcing the military "throughout Judea and Samaria." He also ordered accelerating the legalization of existing farms and establishing new ones.
The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, and violence has surged since the Gaza war began after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. According to a UN report, there were about 737,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as of October 2024. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.
In May 2026, the EU imposed new sanctions on Israeli settlers due to rising violence and also sanctioned Hamas figures. EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said at the time: "It was high time we move from deadlock to delivery. Extremisms and violence carry consequences." The Palestinian health ministry reported that 87 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank in 2026.
