The European Union and the United Kingdom have called on Israel to halt a surge in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, following a series of deadly attacks since the start of Israel’s war with Iran.
According to the United Nations, at least six Palestinians have been killed in settler-related attacks across the West Bank over the past 11 days. European officials described the level of violence as unacceptable and urged Israeli authorities to take immediate steps to ensure accountability and prevent further incidents.
The Israeli military, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), condemned the violence and said it is working to identify and prosecute those responsible.
Israel has established around 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since capturing the territories during the Six-Day War in 1967. Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in these communities, alongside an estimated 3.3 million Palestinians. The settlements are widely considered illegal under international law.
One of the deadliest recent incidents occurred Sunday in the village of Khirbet Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. Witnesses told reporters that dozens of settlers entered the village before dawn. When residents confronted them, armed settlers allegedly opened fire.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said two residents, Thaer Hamayel, 24, and his cousin Farea Hamayel, 57, were shot in the head and killed. Another resident, Mohammed Murra, 55, died after suffering a cardiac arrest following exposure to tear gas used by Israeli security forces.
The IDF said security personnel had been dispatched after reports that Israeli civilians were attacking Palestinians near their homes and that forces acted to disperse those involved. Authorities said a criminal investigation has been launched.
In another incident on Saturday near Susya, 28-year-old Amir Shanaran was shot dead by settlers while on family land in the nearby area of Wadi al-Rakhim. His brother Khaled Shanaran, 34, was seriously wounded.
Earlier attacks also claimed the lives of brothers Mohammed Azem, 51, and Fahim Azem, 47, who were killed in the village of Qaryut, according to the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem.
Another rights group, Yesh Din, reported that 109 incidents of settler violence—including shootings, assaults, property damage and threats—were recorded in 62 Palestinian communities during the first 10 days of the war with Iran.
Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the attacks as a “major escalation of settler terrorism” and called on the international community to impose punitive measures against those responsible.
The commander of the IDF’s Central Command, Avi Bluth, said the military views the incidents with the “utmost severity” and promised that civilians who take the law into their own hands would not be tolerated.
The British Consulate-General in Jerusalem urged Israel to ensure swift investigations and accountability, warning that violence against Palestinian communities must be stopped. An EU spokesperson similarly warned that continued impunity for such acts risks triggering further escalation across the occupied territories.
