Four Palestinians and one Israeli lost their lives in a shooting in the occupied West Bank on Friday according to both Israeli and Palestinian health officials. The incident occurred near Nablus, a Palestinian city, where Israeli civilians were reportedly hiking.

The Israeli military stated it was alerted to the scene following reports of an attack on these civilians. They allege that a Palestinian individual had seized a weapon from local security forces and then fired upon the Israeli civilians.

In contrast, Palestinian authorities reported that people from the West Bank town of Tal came under attack by these Israeli civilians. This altercation resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and injuries to four more, allegedly due to actions by both the Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Mourners gather around the body of a Palestinian man killed on Friday.

Following the incident, the city of Nablus and the Tal area experienced a temporary closure. Israeli forces established roadblocks to track down the perpetrators, as stated by the military.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an emergency meeting to discuss potential responses to the situation, as revealed by a statement from his office.

Essam Saifi, a leader in the Palestinian Fatah party from Tal, recounted the events to Reuters over a phone call. According to him, 25 to 30 Jewish settlers initially launched an attack on the eastern area of Tal, attempting to intrude into two houses. Residents responded by confronting the settlers, who then opened fire.

Approximately thirty minutes later, Saifi described that the settlers returned to attack the western section. This incident reportedly involved assaulting a minor with a weapon, escalating the chaos until the Israeli military arrived and engaged alongside the settlers.