Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques, as well as cars and agricultural land in the occupied West Bank, following a deadly clash that left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead near the village of Tal. The incidents, which also included spray-painted graffiti with the word 'revenge,' occurred in the villages of Qusra and Kour, according to local officials and reports.
The mayor of Qusra said that settlers set fire to a mosque that was under construction. In Kour, worshippers were able to extinguish a fire set by three settlers, though the entrance was damaged. Security footage showed three people in civilian clothes setting off a large explosion at the mosque's entrance.
Both sides have accused each other of provoking the violence. The Israeli military stated that shots were fired by both sides during the incident, and that one of the Palestinians took a settler's weapon and killed a security guard, Benayahu Mellet. Palestinian local authorities said the settlers provoked the violence.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to take 'powerful action,' including possible demolition of homes of two Palestinians allegedly involved. He ordered a major security operation, reinforcing units in the West Bank and cancelling leave, and described settler violence as 'terrorism against Israeli civilians.' The military sealed the homes of two Palestinian militants suspected of killing the soldiers, in preparation for demolition.
Settler attacks have sharply increased in recent months, with dozens of Palestinians killed this year and hundreds wounded, according to the UN and Palestinian Authority. The UN reports 41 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war. Since October 2023, official Palestinian figures say at least 1,182 Palestinians have been killed, though the UN figure is slightly lower at 1,114.
International condemnation of settler attacks has shown little sign of being reversed. Israel has built hundreds of settlements housing 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them. The settlements are illegal under international law.