Settlers rampage across West Bank amid burial of civil security officer shot by Palestinian

Young settler extremists rioted in Palestinian towns across the West Bank on Friday afternoon, following the funeral of Benayahu Mellet, a civil security squad member shot dead by a Palestinian. Mellet was killed during a settler raid on the village of Tell, where a Palestinian snatched his gun and fatally shot him and an IDF officer, Maj. Yuval Ezra. In response, hundreds of Israelis hurled stones, torched homes, and reportedly wounded over a dozen Palestinians in more than a dozen villages.

Mellet’s father, Boaz, called for Israel to dismantle the Palestinian Authority and expand settlements.

The IDF acknowledged that illegal Israeli outposts are a significant challenge, stretching military resources, and has deployed two additional battalions to the West Bank.