2 Israelis, 4 Palestinians killed in gunfight sparked by settler raid of Palestinian town

Two Israelis and four Palestinians were killed on Friday after a Palestinian snatched a weapon from a group of settlers who had raided a northern West Bank village and opened fire, leading to fears of reprisal attacks throughout the territory over the weekend.

The incident began when a group of several dozen settlers had entered the outskirts of the village of Tell on what they claimed was a hike. But the town is located in Areas A and B, which are off limits to Israelis unless they coordinate in advance with the army — something the IDF said the settlers did not do.

After the illegal entry by the Israeli group — which included armed men and minors — a clash erupted near a mosque as dozens of local Palestinians tried to push them out of Tell.

Essam Saifi, a local leader in the Palestinian Fatah party from Tell, told Reuters in a phone call that about 25 to 30 settlers initially attacked the eastern area of Tell and tried to break into two houses there. The residents came out to confront them and the settlers opened fire, he said.

Half an hour later, Saifi continued, the Israelis returned and attacked the western part of the town, striking a minor with a weapon.

At around this point, the civil defense squad from the neighboring Havat Gilad settlement was dispatched to the scene along with artillery soldiers stationed nearby, the IDF said.

תיעוד מטורף מחטיפת הנשק והירי בפיגוע היום בכפר תל בשומרון pic.twitter.com/VbgkhFelVw

— Haim Goldich | חיים גולדיטש (@HGoldich) July 24, 2026

Upon their arrival, footage taken by one of the raiding settlers showed an armed Israeli firing his weapon into the air amid shouts of “revenge” by the young Israelis looking on.

A pair of Palestinians are then seen confronting one of the armed Israelis — Havat Gilad civil defense squad member Benayahu Mellet, 32. Unfazed by Mellet pointing his weapon at them, one of the Palestinians manages to grab his rifle and quickly opens fire, as a gunfight ensues.

The Palestinian managed to shoot Mellet and IDF artillery battery commander Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27. Both Mellet and Ezra were later pronounced dead.

ليس “شيخًا مجاهدًا” كما يحاول البعض تصويره، بل إرهابي مُلحد ارتكب عملية إرهابية. والإسلام بريء منه ومن أفعاله.

الحقيقة واضحة وليست عمياء: هذا هو الإرهابي الذي انتزع سلاح مواطن إسرائيلي وأطلق النار عليه في قرية تل.

حسبي الله على كل من يستغل الدين واللباس الديني ليمنح الإرهاب… pic.twitter.com/wsmn5228Sc

— Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya | إيلا واوية (@CaptainElla1) July 24, 2026

An IDF platoon commander who arrived at the scene with Ezra managed to shoot dead the Palestinian who snatched Mellet’s weapon during the gunfight, the army said.

Three other Palestinians were also killed in the crossfire, though, they weren’t immediately identified. In addition, two Israelis — one critically and one seriously — and four Palestinians were wounded — three of whom critically.

Later, Israeli commandos captured two of the wounded Palestinians who the military said took part in the deadly clash. Soldiers of the Duvdevan Unit raided a hospital in Nablus, where the two suspects had been brought after being wounded, and took them for further questioning by the Shin Bet, the army said.

“The identities of all the terrorists who participated in the attack are known, and the forces are operating to arrest them,” the military added.

IDF dispatches 5 additional companies to West Bank

In the wake of the incident, the IDF dispatched five additional companies of troops to the West Bank, and imposed a closure on Tell and Nablus.

It was already operating in Beit Furik and Tubas following attacks on Thursday carried out by Palestinian residents of the two towns.

The IDF also canceled weekend furlough for troops serving in the West Bank, saying in a statement that soldiers were “preparing for extensive counterterrorism operational activity in the sector.”

After the incident, and in light of two stabbings on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security consultation. Among those participating were Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF chief Eyal Zamir and the head of the Shin Bet David Zini.

Following the assessment, the premier and Katz announced a series of new measures to crack down on Palestinians in the West Bank, including the establishment of new settlements.

Israel will demolish the home of the Palestinian who carried out the deadly gunfire, Netanyahu and Katz said in a joint statement.

Additionally, the IDF will embark on new operations in villages seen as terror hotbeds to collect weapons. The small number of work permits still granted to residents in those villages will also be revoked.

Israel will also speed up the legalization of settler outposts in the West Bank, and will establish new ones — something the hardline government has already been doing at record rates, sparking alarm from the international community, which views them as illegal.

In a warning to settlers who might carry out revenge attacks on Palestinians, the leaders emphasized that “security forces must be allowed to operate freely and with full force against terrorism, and that any action liable to harm their operations or divert them from their central mission — the protection of Israel’s citizens and the defeat of terrorism — should be avoided.”

Separately, Zini held an assessment at the site of the deadly clash, saying in remarks published by the Shin Bet: “This morning’s attack is severe and painful, and tragically claimed a heavy toll in lives.”

“In recent months, we have foiled dozens of attacks, almost every night. This time, we did not succeed in thwarting it in advance,” he said.

Zini called on the public “not to take the law into their own hands and to place their trust in the IDF and the Shin Bet, whose mission and duty this is.”

Reports of revenge attacks; IDF says working to keep calm

The IDF said in a statement that it was working to prevent “confrontations” between Israelis and Palestinians in the village.

A military official warned that there was an “atmosphere” of revenge since the deadly incident, and noted calls to enter Palestinian villages and carry out attacks.

هجوم المستوطنين على قرية فرعتا شرق قلقيلية وحرق بعض المنازل بالإضافة لاصابة شاب بالرصاص الحي بالصدر pic.twitter.com/sjaxjefw7c

— Hisham Abu Shaqrah | هشام أبو شقرة (@HShaqrah) July 24, 2026

Those calls came to fruition shortly thereafter, with dozens of settlers proceeding to raid the nearby village of Far’ata, attacking residents and torching several buildings, according to Palestinian media reports and footage from the scene.

Seven Palestinians were wounded during clashes between settlers and Palestinians, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said.

مراسل الجزيرة يفيد بأن عشرات المستوطنين هاجموا منازل الفلسطينيين في قرية جيت شرقي قلقيلية شمال الضفة الغربية#الأخبار pic.twitter.com/nEOIcAvgrR

— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) July 24, 2026

According to the reports, one of the wounded Palestinians was shot by IDF troops. The army did not immediately confirm that it had arrived at the scene during the settler raid.

In a separate incident, Palestinian media also published footage showing dozens of settlers entering the nearby village of Jit.

Mellet was father of two; extremists laud him for activism

The IDF later recognized Mellet as a fallen soldier. A reserves commander in the Jerusalem Brigade’s 8119th Battalion, the master sergeant was serving in the reserves as a regional defense soldier at the time of his death.

The Havat Gilad settlement eulogized Mellet, noting that he was married, a father of two, and responsible for agriculture at the settlement.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, called him “a man with a heart of gold, a true and dedicated family man, who loved the Land of Israel with all his soul and was a member of a family with deep roots.”

Also eulogizing Mellett was extremist Meir Ettinger, who lauded Mellett as the founder and “living spirit” of the “Struggle for Every Dunam” organization.

“He was never satisfied with recognized roads and fences, and strived continuously to conquer the region” wrote Ettinger on X. “Benayahu always insisted on not making a distinction between areas C and B.”

Under the Oslo Accords, the West Bank is divided into Areas A, B, and C. Area A is under full Palestinian Authority control, and Area C is under full Israeli control; Area B is under Israeli security control, but with the PA as its civil authority.

Israelis are prohibited from living in Area B, although there are currently at least 21 illegal settlement outposts there which the Israeli authorities have failed to dismantle, according to the Peace Now group.

Elisha Yered, a key illegal outpost organizer, similarly wrote that “Benayahu understood that it is forbidden to distinguish between areas C and B and worked to establish settlement outposts in those terrorists.”

He also credited Mellett with warning of what settlement activists allege is a plan by the Palestinian Authority to take over large areas of Area C, and working to thwart that plan by establishing Jewish settlements in the region where he was active.

“In direct continuation of his will we in the Forum have begun to prepare quickly for settlement cadres to establish more settlements in the region in which Benyahu planned Jewish settlements during his life,” added Yered.

Smotrich calls for flattening Palestinian towns

Responding to the initial clash, Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X: “We cannot normalize the erosion of deterrence and our enemies raising their heads in recent weeks against the settlement pioneers and the farms.”

“I demand that the IDF take strong action against the murderous village and its surroundings and restore governance and deterrence,” Smotrich said.

“The heroic farm workers and settlement pioneers are the protective wall of the State of Israel. We will continue to strengthen and honor them for their steadfast stand for our existence in the Land of Israel against Arab terrorism,” he continued.

Later, Smotrich said Tell, as well as nearby Palestinian villages Burin and Beit Furik “should look like the refugee camps in Nablus and Tulkarem,” in reference to the widespread demolitions carried out there by the IDF in recent operations, which have left thousands of Palestinians homeless.

He also said he would demand that Netanyahu establish a new settlement close to the site of the incident by transferring the territory from Area B to Area C, a move which would be a severe violation of the Oslo Accords.

Under the accords, Area B is under Palestinian civilian control and Israeli security control. Area C is under full Israeli control.

Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.