Key facts
- Palestinians in Nablus are facing an 'existential threat' due to escalating settler attacks and military raids, according to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).
- MAP reported that healthcare facilities in Nablus were targeted during an Israeli military raid, with patients arrested and ambulances blocked.
- Human Rights Watch documented settler attacks in Tal village near Nablus on July 24, 2026, resulting in four Palestinian and two Israeli deaths.
- The violence has led to Israeli plans for a 'major counterterrorism operation' in the West Bank and calls for punitive measures against Palestinian villages.
- MAP urged the UK government to intervene urgently to prevent further violence and atrocities in the West Bank.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) has issued a stark warning, stating that Palestinians in Nablus are facing an "existential threat" following a significant escalation in settler attacks and Israeli military raids. The violence has reportedly targeted healthcare facilities, with Aseel Baidoun, MAP’s Deputy Director of Advocacy and Campaigns, highlighting an Israeli military raid on Nablus Specialised Hospital. During this raid, patients were allegedly arrested, and ambulances were prevented from reaching injured Palestinians.
Baidoun characterized these events as part of a broader pattern of violence and obstruction that endangers Palestinian lives, emphasizing that a lack of accountability fuels this impunity. He urged the UK government to take immediate action to prevent further atrocities, warning that the West Bank is approaching a point of no return.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that on July 24, 2026, two Israeli settler attacks on Tal village near Nablus resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and two Israelis. This incident prompted a wave of settler reprisal attacks on neighboring Palestinian villages and led the Israeli government to announce a 'major counterterrorism operation.' Israeli officials have also called for punitive measures, including the destruction of Palestinian homes and the revocation of work permits.
HRW noted that settler violence has sharply increased since late 2022, with a notable spike in March and April 2026. The organization verified accounts and videos indicating that the confrontation in Tal village involved settlers, some armed, and Israeli soldiers, with conflicting reports on the exact sequence of events and the military's intervention. The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the events as a 'massacre committed by settlers in partnership with the occupation forces.'
As of July 19, 2026, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported 68 Palestinians killed in the West Bank in 2026, with at least 13 attributed to settlers. The Israeli military stated that soldiers responded to a report of an attack on Israeli civilians hiking in the area and that weapons were stolen from security personnel.