(Beirut) – Two Israeli settler attacks on Tal village near Nablus in the West Bank on July 24, 2026, resulted in the killing of four Palestinians and two Israelis, Human Rights Watch said today. 
The incident triggered a wave of settler reprisal attacks in nearby Palestinian villages, the Israeli government’s announcement of a “major counterterrorism operation,” and Israeli officials calling for the destruction of Palestinian homes and villages. Concerned governments should urgently act to prevent further settler violence and atrocities.
“The Israeli government didn’t prevent the settler attacks on Tal village, so now it needs to stop settler reprisals and escalating military action that will make a bad situation worse,” said Sarah Sanbar, acting Israel and Palestine researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Years of lawlessness and impunity for attacks has turned the West Bank into a powder keg waiting to explode, and decisive action is urgently needed.” 
The July 24 killings in Tal bring the Palestinian death toll in the occupied West Bank since July 19 to 10. As of July 19, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported 68 Palestinians killed in the West Bank in 2026, at least 13 by settlers. OCHA reported that as of July 15, 20 Israelis had been injured in 2026 in the West Bank. Settler violence has risen sharply since the current Israeli government took office in October 2022, with the most recent spike in March and April 2026, during the United States and Israel’s war with Iran.
Human Rights Watch interviewed two witnesses to the attacks and a local activist, and verified six videos of the incidents posted to social media platforms and shared directly with researchers.
Between 6:10 and 6:45 a.m. on July 24, 40 to 50 settlers, including children, approached Tal from the east, attacked four or five Palestinian homes with stones, and tried to break in, witnesses said. A confrontation between the settlers and Palestinians erupted,

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