Key facts
- The EU urged de-escalation of violence in the West Bank.
- Israel detained over 70 suspects following clashes.
- Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed.
- Israeli forces raided a hospital in Nablus.
- Over 300 locations were searched by the Israeli military.
The European Union has expressed deep concern over escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, urging all parties to de-escalate tensions and avoid inflammatory rhetoric. The bloc offered condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured, emphasizing the fragility of the situation.
These remarks follow a series of Israeli military raids and settler attacks across the West Bank. Israel's military stated it detained over 70 suspects overnight and on Saturday following clashes that left two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinian villagers dead. Soldiers remained in the village of Tell, the center of Friday's clashes. Palestinians described searches that included raids of a hospital in Nablus, where staff and patients reported being detained and insulted by soldiers. The Israeli military did not mention the hospital raid but confirmed searching over 300 locations and detaining affiliates of Hamas, arms traffickers, and 'terrorists'.
The circumstances of Friday's events remain unclear, but Israeli media and Palestinian officials suggest settlers entered Tell and were confronted by residents. The village is off-limits to Israelis under the Oslo Accords. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed four Palestinians were killed in Tell, while the military reported two soldiers dead. Over 80 Palestinians were arrested across the territory, which Palestinian officials called collective punishment. The international community largely considers Israeli settlement construction in these areas illegal.