Four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed in a shooting in the occupied West Bank village of Tal, in what the BBC described as the deadliest single incident there for months. Palestinian and Israeli accounts differ sharply over how the violence began, with each side saying the other initiated the attack; the Israeli military is preparing a major operation and has sent reinforcements.

Palestinian witnesses said settlers attacked homes and that Israeli forces later opened fire, while the Israeli military said a Palestinian stole a security guard’s weapon, killed him and fired at Israeli hikers before being shot dead. Several others were wounded, and the deaths included a 27-year-old Israeli soldier; the incident comes amid heightened West Bank violence since the Gaza war began in 2023, during which the UN says 1,114 Palestinians and 41 Israelis have been killed there.