The Israeli military began preparations for a large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank on Friday after four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed in clashes there.
The military said a group of settlers entered an area of the West Bank restricted to Israeli civilians Friday for an “unauthorized and uncoordinated hike.” As the group approached the Palestinian village of Tell, clashes broke out between the settlers and residents of the village.
In the ensuing gunfire, four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed, part of a surge of violence across the West Bank.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the demolition of Palestinian villages in the area in response to the Israelis who were killed.
“The population must be evacuated for its own protection, and these villages must be cleared of terrorist infrastructure and terrorists in order to restore deterrence and security to the area,” he said Friday.
