IDF Probe Finds Uncoordinated Hike Preceded Deadly Samaria Clash
Published
An initial IDF probe found that dozens of Israelis, including children, entered Areas A and B near the Samaria village of Tell for a hike that had not been coordinated with the military. A violent confrontation began after Palestinians approached the group, and Havat Gilad civil-defense personnel and IDF commanders came to disperse it. The probe says a Palestinian seized an Israeli rifle and opened fire, killing civil-defense squad member Benayahu Mellet, 32, and wounding two other Israelis. Israeli forces killed the gunman; four Palestinians died in the broader clash, and the circumstances of the other deaths remain under investigation.
Sources
Difference in reporting
Sources factually disagree on the Palestinian deaths: AP, citing the Palestinian Health Ministry, attributes all four to Israeli forces; Kipa's account of the IDF probe says a platoon commander killed two and that four died during the exchanges. The remaining facts are uniform: the hike was uncoordinated, a Palestinian seized an Israeli weapon and killed Benayahu Mellet, and Israel reinforced the area.
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