Alert for risk of "massive pogroms" after a night of unprecedented violence in the West Bank

The West Bank has experienced one of the most explosive days in recent months. A shooting in the village of Tell, southwest of Nablus, in which at least four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers died, has triggered this morning a massive wave of settler attacks against several Palestinian communities. Israeli settlers have attacked several Palestinian villages, including Urif, Surra, Far'ata, Jit, Imatin, Khirbet Imreiha, Iraq Burin, and the Masafer Yatta area, in the north and center of the West Bank. In Urif, a home was set on fire and at least one Palestinian was injured. In Far'ata, settlers burned agricultural land and shot a man in the chest, who is in critical condition. Other videos disseminated by residents of various towns show houses, businesses, and vehicles on fire, excavators uprooting olive trees, as well as the word revenge painted on the walls. In some of the incidents, according to local sources, Israeli troops have dispersed Palestinian residents with tear gas.The incident that precipitated the escalation occurred after a group of Israeli settlers entered a restricted military zone without authorization or coordination with the army, as explained by the Israeli army. From here, the versions diverge. The army maintains that the settlers were on an unauthorized excursion when they were attacked and that a Palestinian snatched the weapon from one of the security members before opening fire. Palestinian witnesses, on the other hand, assure that it was the settlers, with the support of the soldiers present, who began to shoot at the inhabitants of the village.A video recorded during the events shows an armed settler trying to push away two Palestinians by pushing them with his rifle. A struggle for the weapon then ensues, while shouts of revenge in Hebrew can be heard in the background. Moments later, one of the Palestinians appears holding the rifle and at least a dozen shots are heard coming from different points. Be that as it may, the result was four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers dead, one of whom was also a settler, according to the Efe agency.A pretext to intensify the offensive

After the events in Tell, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced they would intensify military operations in villages that Israel considers "a hotbed of terrorism." They announced new military deployments, the demolition of homes of suspects who may have participated in the Tell incident, the confiscation of weapons, and the withdrawal of work permits for the inhabitants of this village.Netanyahu also ordered the acceleration of the construction of new settler outposts in the area where the events occurred and the legalization of those that already exist, despite the settlements being considered illegal, according to international law and by most of the international community.

For their part, far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have called for even more forceful measures. Smotrich has advocated for the demolition of villages in the area and Ben-Gvir has called for these Palestinian localities to be treated "like Beit Hanoun", in northern Gaza, a city devastated by months of bombings.NGO alert

The Israeli government's response and the night of attacks have provoked criticism both from abroad and from within the country itself. The leader of the Democrats party, Yair Golan, has accused Netanyahu and Katz of showing a "clear intention to set the region ablaze", while the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem and nineteen other entities have made an urgent call to the international community to act in the face of increased settler violence and Israeli military operations. The organizations warn that calls for revenge made by Israeli political leaders could lead to "mass pogroms" against the Palestinian population.Along the same lines, Doctors Without Borders has denounced the assault on the Specialized Hospital of Nablus. According to the center's management, Israeli soldiers surrounded the hospital, entered the emergency department, and arrested two brothers, one of whom was an injured patient receiving medical treatment. The organization has warned that these events are not isolated incidents, but rather "part of a broader pattern of Israeli raids and state-backed settler violence".The day arrives after months of sustained escalation in the West Bank. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), during 2026 settler violence has reached record levels. The body has documented more than 1,200 incidents with casualties or property damage in more than 240 Palestinian communities, an average of about six incidents per day. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, since the beginning of the year at least 87 Palestinians have died, 21 of whom in attacks attributed to Israeli settlers.