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Nablus, Palestinian Territories — Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a forceful response Friday after violence in the West Bank that killed four Palestinians and an Israeli, while the military announced preparations for a new operation in the occupied area.
Violence in the West Bank has surged since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023.
Friday's violence erupted near the settlement of Havat Gilad and the neighbouring Palestinian village of Tell, in territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
Excluding east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank alongside around three million Palestinians.
According to Walid Zidan, head of the Tell village council, Friday's clashes began when a group of about 20 settlers entered the village.
"Villagers came out to defend their homes and property. Clashes and physical altercations broke out between the residents and the settlers," Zidan told AFP.
"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 Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry reported four people killed and four others wounded in the incident.
Grieving Palestinian relatives gathered at two hospitals in the nearby city of Nablus, where the victims' bodies were taken, an AFP journalist reported.
‘Extensive' operation
The Israeli military said it was preparing to launch a widespread operation in the West Bank.
It added that it had postponed soldiers' leave across the territory and had begun deploying forces in the area.
Hours later, in a separate incident, Israeli settlers attacked the village of Farata, also near Havat Gilad, according to Abdel Moneim Shanneh, head of the local council.
"The settlers set fire to the olive groves... The army prevented young men from the village from extinguishing fires and opened fire on them," he said, adding that five men were injured.
Violence in the West Bank has intensified since the Gaza war began, with a rise in settler attacks on Palestinians and Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.
According to an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,094 Palestinians.
