Israel launches military operation after deadly clash near Palestinian village

Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed near a Palestinian village on Friday in a confrontation that added to a growing toll over recent weeks as Israeli settler violence has intensified against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The incident near the village of Tal, southwest of the city of Nablus, followed a sharp increase in settler attacks on Palestinian villages since the start of the year, according to figures from the United Nations.

Israel's military said it had received reports that Israeli civilians hiking in the area had been attacked near the village, in the so-called Area A of the West Bank. The area is under Palestinian Authority civil and security control and Israelis are officially prohibited from entering.

The military said a Palestinian man took a weapon from Israeli security personnel from the nearby settlement of Havat Gilad and opened fire, wounding several Israelis before being killed. It said four Palestinians were killed in the incident.

Local Palestinian officials said a large group of Israeli settlers had tried to break into two houses and were then confronted by villagers.

ISRAELI MILITARY PREPARES FOR MAJOR OPERATION

Israeli troops set up roadblocks in the area around Tal and Nablus and said they were pursuing individuals involved in the incident. The military said it was preparing for "extensive counterterrorism operational activity in the sector" and had cancelled leave.

"Following the recent events, and especially this morning's attack, there is concern about escalation throughout Judea and Samaria. We are carrying out counterterrorism operations to prevent the area from spiraling into further violence," Major General Avi Bluth, head of the Israeli military's central command said in a statement.

The Israeli military said it had apprehended two men in a hospital in Nablus where they had been taken after being injured while carrying out the attack. It said "they were apprehended by the soldiers and transferred to the security forces for further processing."

Palestinian officials said the Israeli military had raided the hospital and assaulted medical staff in the emergency department.

Hardline Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Palestinian villages near Tal should be cleared of their inhabitants and new settlements built to establish security.

"This is our appropriate Zionist answer to terrorists and terrorism, and to the desire to harm our grip on the areas of our country," he said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had conducted a security assessment into the incident, along with the defense minister and the military's chief of staff.

Three months before Israelis go to the polls, Netanyahu's pro-settler government has stepped up preparations to expand settlements in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians view it as part of their state along with Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

SEPARATE ATTACK

In a separate incident, the Palestinian Authority foreign ministry said settlers had attacked a village near the West Bank city of Qalqilya, wounding two people and setting fire to trees and cars. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa also reported a number of other settler attacks in various parts of the West Bank.

The Israeli military was not immediately available for comment.

According to figures from the Palestinian Authority, 87 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year, including 21 killed by Israeli settlers. United Nations figures indicate some 850 Palestinians have been wounded in the context of attacks by Israeli settlers since the start of the year.

Essam Saifi, a local leader in the Palestinian Fatah party from Tal, told Reuters by phone that about 25 to 30 settlers initially attacked the eastern area of Tal and tried to break into two houses there.

When residents came out to confront them, he said the settlers opened fire before leaving.

Half an hour later, he said they returned and attacked the western part of the town, leading to a chaotic shootout that also involved the Israeli military.