Four Palestinians were killed and four others wounded on Friday after Israeli occupation forces attacked the village of Tell, southwest of Nablus, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The ministry said three of the injured were in critical condition after being shot during confrontations that erupted following the attack, reports WAFA News Agency.
Issam al-Saifi, secretary of the Fatah movement in Tell, said Israel first attacked two homes in the eastern part of the village, prompting residents to intervene and drive them away.
He said the forces returned about 30 minutes later and launched another attack in the western part of the village. Clashes then broke out between local residents and the colonists and Israeli occupation forces, who entered the area, he alleged, to protect the colonists.
According to al-Saifi, Israeli troops and colonists opened fire during the confrontation, killing four Palestinians—two brothers and two of their cousins—and injuring four others. He added that Israeli forces later declared the village a closed military zone while settlers remained in the surrounding area.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said 82 Palestinians have been killed across the occupied West Bank since the start of the year, including 21 who it said were killed by Israeli settlers.