Middle East — 2026-07-25

Settler Raid on Palestinian Village Tell Sparks Deadly Clash Killing Six as IDF Deploys Five Additional Companies to West Bank

BLUFIDF reinforcement orders and political pressure from coalition hardliners will likely convert preparations into an active West Bank clearance campaign by early August, broadening well beyond the Tell incident's counterterror scope.

About 20 settlers entered the Palestinian village of Tell, southwest of Nablus, on an unauthorized hike Friday, and clashes with residents left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead 123. The Israeli military said a Palestinian man seized a weapon from a Havat Gilad settlement security officer and opened fire, killing the officer, identified as Benayahu Mellet, 32, and Major Yuval Ezra, 27 456. Video confirmed by the Israeli military shows armed settlers and a soldier confronting Palestinian residents, and a separate clip shows forces firing on a group already on the ground 13. CNN reported the military has not clarified how or when the four Palestinians, described by a village leader as members of one family, were killed 15. The military imposed curfews on Tell and Burin, closed off Nablus, and said it is reinforcing troops and preparing a large-scale operation. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz ordered demolition of the shooter's home, and Finance Minister Smotrich called for depopulating Tell and surrounding villages 147.

Analysis
The IDF's preparations for a large-scale West Bank operation will likely convert into an active clearance campaign within two weeks, extending the curfews already imposed on Tell and Burin into sustained troop deployment across the Nablus area. High confidence rests on converging primary reporting of reinforcement orders and redeployment from Lebanon and Gaza fronts. Smotrich's public call to depopulate Tell and neighboring villages pushes the political ceiling above the military's stated counterterror scope, while the military's failure to account for the four Palestinian deaths leaves an accountability gap Israeli oversight bodies have not addressed.

11 sources