Why are Israeli settlers on a rampage in the occupied West Bank? - Al Jazeera

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported on July 26 that tensions have escalated across the occupied West Bank after a settler incursion in Tal, near Nablus, led to the deaths of four Palestinians and two Israelis. According to the report, nearly 30 settlers entered the town on Friday and attempted to enter homes before residents confronted them; Israeli forces later shot dead four Palestinians, while two Israelis were killed during the confrontation.

In the days that followed, Palestinian communities reported a wave of settler attacks. Village officials told Reuters, cited by Al Jazeera, that settlers set fire to a mosque in Qusra, southeast of Nablus, and sprayed Hebrew graffiti on its walls. Officials in a village near Kour, southeast of Tulkarem, said worshippers extinguished a fire after settlers tried to burn another mosque. Al Jazeera also cited local video showing settlers setting part of a Palestinian home ablaze in Beit Furik.

Israeli Army Radio reported at least 30 settler attacks since Friday and said security data showed 660 incidents in the first half of 2026, up from 405 in the second half of 2025. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was ready for wider action and had been directed to enter villages, search for weapons and make arrests.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said raids and interrogations were concentrated in Nablus governorate, especially Tal. About 80 Palestinians have reportedly been arrested there since Friday, most later released, while around 18, including children, remained detained.