Four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed during a shootout in the West Bank

At least four Palestinians and two Israelis have been killed in a shooting incident in the West Bank – the deadliest in months.

There are conflicting accounts of the sequence of events in the area north of Tal. Palestinians told the BBC that civilians had confronted Jewish settlers who attacked them. An eyewitness said that the soldiers then came and opened fire.

The Israeli military said it had responded to reports that the climbers had been attacked. It said “terrorists stole the weapon” of the security guard and killed him.

It later said that a soldier was also killed, but did not give details. The IDF did not specify who killed the other Palestinians.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it is preparing a major operation in the area and has canceled military leave.

There has been an uptick in attacks on Palestinian residents and their property in the West Bank since the Gaza war began, which began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Ahmed Zeidan, an eyewitness, told the BBC that the latest incident started in the morning, when the locals in Tal rushed to confront about 30 settlers who were attacking Palestinian homes.

He said there was a clash of hands in front of Israeli soldiers.

The local leader of the ruling Palestinian Authority group, Fatah, Essam Saifi, told Reuters news agency that the settlers opened fire before Israeli soldiers arrived and opened fire.

He said that among the dead were two brothers and their two cousins. Palestinian officials said some Palestinians were injured.

The IDF said the Palestinians launched the attack.

It said the army went to Tal following reports of attacks on Israeli civilians who were hiking in the area – part of which falls within the West Bank area under full control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the other part under PA control and Israeli security control.

The army says this increase had nothing to do with them.

A security guard from a nearby residential area went to the scene and had his gun snatched away by a Palestinian who used it on the Israelis, killing him, the IDF said.

The soldiers then eliminated the “terrorist who attacked,” the IDF added.

The two video clips have been widely shared by local media – but have not been independently verified.

One appears to show a confrontation between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers and armed Israelis in casual clothing as gunfire erupts and a group of Israeli civilians, including children, watch and heckle. Armed Israelis in civilian clothes pushed and kicked two Palestinian men.

A second video shot from another angle appears to show both men trying to grab the guns – one of them successfully. There is chaos and multiple gunshots are heard as he is seen firing and the soldiers respond.

The IDF said the 27-year-old soldier “fell during operations in the area of ​​the village”. The circumstances of his death are still unclear.

The Israeli ambulance service said two Israelis were also injured.