Key facts
- Israeli political leaders and settler groups have called for 'revenge' against Palestinians.
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the destruction of Palestinian villages and their evacuation.
- National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir suggested razing West Bank villages similar to Gaza.
- Four Palestinians were killed in the village of Tell following an incident involving a settler.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the demolition of a Palestinian home and accelerated settler outpost construction.
- The Israeli army launched an operation around Nablus, arresting dozens of Palestinians and closing village entrances.
Israeli political leaders and settler organizations have issued calls for 'revenge' against Palestinians, with some demanding the destruction of villages and expressing a desire 'to see blood' following recent clashes in the occupied West Bank.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich explicitly called for the destruction of the Palestinian villages of Tell, Iraq Burin, and Beit Furik, stating they should resemble the heavily damaged refugee camps in Nablus and Tulkarm. He also urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove the area from the Palestinian Authority's control.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stated that 'for every Jew killed, the enemy must bear the loss of land and homes,' advocating for the adoption of Israel's strategy of razing entire cities in Gaza to the West Bank.
These calls follow an incident in the village of Tell where four members of the Saifi family were killed by Israeli forces. The Israeli military claimed one of the family members seized a weapon from a settler and fatally shot the settler. According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 87 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in 2026 by Israeli fire, including 21 killed by settlers.
Zvi Sukkot, a member of Smotrich's party, also called for Tell to 'become ruins' and posted 'Revenge' on social media. Messages from settler group chats reviewed by Middle East Eye included appeals to 'erase the village of Tell' and stated, 'We want to see blood. There is no comfort without revenge.' Prominent settler Elchanan Groner also called for the village of Tell to be 'erased'.
Prime Minister Netanyahu stated on X that Israel 'will pursue terror everywhere' and 'will settle accounts with them.' He instructed the military to demolish the home of the Palestinian man involved in the shooting and to act swiftly against other villages in the area. Netanyahu also ordered the acceleration of the regularization and establishment of more settler outposts.
The Israeli army mobilized troops in the West Bank for a large-scale operation around Nablus, reportedly arresting 66 Palestinians, including 30 from Tell. Entrances to Tell and Burin were closed, and Nablus was encircled. The army also raided Palestinian homes, conducted searches, and arrested two individuals at a Nablus hospital, claiming they were involved in the Tell clashes.
Meanwhile, settlers raided Palestinian communities across the West Bank. The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported eight Palestinians injured in an attack on Far'ata, and three injured in Sarra, with homes set on fire and property damaged in both locations. Other settler attacks were reported in Masafer Yatta, Awarta, Urif, Qarawat Bani Hassan, Birin, Abu Njeim, and Kafr Malik, involving property fires, uprooted olive trees, and the seizure of a home in Qarawat Bani Hassan. A Palestinian man was also reportedly stabbed and injured in the Jordan Valley.