At least four Palestinians were killed and four others injured during clashes involving Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to Palestinian health officials.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the incident occurred in the town of Tal, southwest of Nablus, adding that three of the injured were in critical condition.
Israeli authorities separately reported that one Israeli settler was killed and several others were wounded during the violence.
Local residents and Palestinian security sources said the confrontation began when Israeli settlers entered Tal, a town located near the Israeli settlement of Havat Gilad.
According to witnesses, settlers allegedly opened fire after Palestinians confronted them while attempting to defend their homes.
Essam Saifi, a local leader of the Palestinian Fatah movement in Tal, told Reuters that an initial group of approximately 25 to 30 Israeli settlers entered the eastern part of the town and attempted to force their way into two homes.
Residents confronted the group, after which, Saifi said, the settlers began firing live ammunition.
He said the settlers later returned to the western side of the town, where a child was reportedly struck with a weapon, triggering further unrest.
According to Saifi, Israeli military forces then arrived and opened fire as clashes intensified.
The Israeli military offered a different account of the incident, saying troops were deployed following what it described as an attack on Israelis who were hiking near Havat Gilad.
The military alleged that a Palestinian seized a firearm from local security personnel and fired at Israeli civilians.
Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said one Israeli was killed during the incident, while two injured individuals were airlifted to hospital for treatment.
The conflicting accounts could not be independently verified.
The latest violence comes amid heightened tensions across the occupied West Bank, where confrontations involving Israeli forces, settlers and Palestinians have intensified alongside the broader conflict in the region.
