Israel’s military responded to a violent riot in the village of Deir Jarir on Saturday. A soldier in reserves shot and killed a Palestinian man identified as Ali Majed Hamadneh, 23. The Health Ministry confirmed that he was evacuated for medical treatment but later died at the hospital.
The incident has reignited debates over Israeli-Palestinian violence. Since the start of the Iran war, 22 Palestinians have been killed. In 2025, the United Nations reported 240 Palestinians were killed in the territory, with most deaths caused by Israel’s military and nine by Israeli settlers.
Adding to tensions is the government’s approval of 34 new settlements in the West Bank. Peace Now, a settlement monitoring rights group, stated that these approvals took place on April 1 but were kept secret during the Iran war to avoid straining U.S. relations. The organization condemned the “frenzy” of approvals as an election ploy.
Several right-wing politicians celebrated the new settlements’ establishment, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stating that Israel’s political decisions are killing off the idea of separate states and a terror state in the heart of Israel.