Four Palestinians and one Israeli were killed in a shooting on July 24, 2026, in the village of Tell near Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. It was the deadliest attack in the territory this year, according to The Guardian.

The West Bank is a piece of land that Israel captured in 1967. Palestinians want it for a future country of their own. Many Israelis also live there in communities called settlements. Most countries consider these settlements illegal, but Israel disagrees. The two sides have been in conflict over this land for decades, and incidents like this one are part of that ongoing tension.

What actually happened in Tell is heavily disputed. Both sides tell very different stories.

Walid Zidan, the head of Tell's village council, told Agence France-Presse that about 20 Israeli settlers entered the village around 8:30 a.m. local time. He said Israeli soldiers were there too, and that settlers and soldiers began shooting together. The Palestinian foreign ministry called it a "massacre committed by settlers in partnership with the occupation forces." The Palestinian health ministry said the four Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces.

The Israeli military told a different story. It said soldiers went to the area after hearing that Israeli civilians hiking near Havat Gilad, a settlement close to Tell, were being attacked. The military said the attackers grabbed a weapon from one of the security forces at the scene and started shooting. Israel's rescue service, Magen David Adom, said the Israeli killed was a man in his 30s. Settler social media channels said he lived in Havat Gilad.

All four Palestinians who died were from the same family. Video posted online appeared to show several people lying on the ground in a field near the village, apparently shot. Injured Palestinians were taken to Nablus Speciality Hospital, France 24 reported. Palestinian health officials said they were treating four injured Palestinians, three of them in critical condition. Israel's rescue service said two injured Israelis were flown out by helicopter.

After the shooting, the Israeli military set up a "temporary cordon" — a kind of blockade — around Nablus and Tell. That means people in the area cannot move freely. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he would meet with his defense minister and top military commander to talk about a response. His office said Israel would "act forcefully against the terrorists."

The broader context here is important. The number of dead on both sides, and the fact that both settlers and uniformed soldiers were involved, make this one of the most serious incidents in the West Bank in recent months. Because the four Palestinians killed were all from one family, there is extra pressure on the Palestinian Authority — the local government that runs parts of the West Bank — to speak out. On the Israeli side, the death of a civilian and the grabbing of a soldier's weapon give Netanyahu's government a clear reason to strike back. His decision to meet with top defense officials suggests a military response may be coming, though no details have been announced.

Settler community social media channels called for a wave of attacks to "erase" the village. Similar language has come before organized settler attacks in the past. The blockade around Nablus and Tell will also limit movement for tens of thousands of Palestinians, which has caused tension between Israeli security forces and Palestinian communities before.

The two stories do not line up easily. The Palestinian version describes settlers and soldiers entering a village and shooting. The Israeli version describes soldiers responding to an attack on hikers, with a weapon seized by Palestinian attackers. Videos shared online may help show what really happened, but neither side has released a full timeline. The speed with which each side spread its version shows how fast a local clash can become a national story for both Israelis and Palestinians.

What happens next will likely depend on two things: how big any Israeli military response turns out to be, and whether settlers actually act on the call to "erase" Tell or nearby villages. Either one could turn this into something much bigger.