Palestinians bury four killed in West Bank clash with Israeli settlers

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank village of Tell on Saturday buried four men killed during a clash with Israeli settlers the previous day, local officials said.

Violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has surged since the Gaza war began with Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and the clash in Tell has already had political repercussions.

On Friday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that, following the deaths of two Israelis in the village, he would allow the establishment of more settlements in the region.

Israel, he said, would conduct more raids in Palestinian villages suspected of hosting militants and accelerate "the legalisation of farm outposts and establishment of new ones."

All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law, while outposts are small settlements usually established without government approval.

Walid Zidan, head of the Tell village council, told AFP that "Families of the four martyrs held a common funeral early this morning ... but the army restricted who could attend and only about 30 people were able to be there."

On Friday, about 20 Israelis from a nearby settlement entered the village and clashed with residents, Zidan said.

A Palestinian villager seized an Israeli's weapon and shot dead one settler, leading an emergency response team from a nearby settlement to rush to the scene and more gunfire that left four Palestinians and a second Israeli dead, the Israeli military said.

Israeli forces closed gates and checkpoints throughout the West Bank, severely obstructing movement, AFP journalists reported.

By the time of the funeral, movement was still restricted, and Zidan told AFP that the military was still present in the village Saturday morning, having detained 51 residents for questioning, and released just six.

"Every person who was brought in was assigned a number, which was written on their forehead," said Saif Hamza, who was released after questioning.

Zidan said he still struggled to comprehend what had happened in the village.

"I am in my own home, and someone comes and assaults me," he said.

"Under what law? Under what moral or legal authority? I am in my own home, on my own land. By what right you, as settlers, come here?"

AFP