RAMALLAH / Qais Abu Samra / Anadolu

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Friday that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire and settlers in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2026 has risen to 86.

The ministry said in a statement that 86 Palestinians have been killed in various West Bank governorates since the beginning of 2026, including 21 by settlers' fire and 65 by army fire.

The ministry's announcement came after four Palestinians were killed and four others injured, three critically, on Friday morning in an attack by the Israeli army and settlers on the town of Tel southwest of Nablus, according to a previous statement by the Palestinian Health Ministry.

On Monday, Israeli army Central District Commander Avi Blot warned of the escalation of settler attacks in the West Bank, saying that 'Jewish terror' now threatens everyone's security and harms Israel's international legitimacy.

For his part, the Israeli rights center B'Tselem said that settler attacks in the West Bank are an example of Israel's encouragement of 'ethnic cleansing' against the Palestinian people.

These attacks include killing, arrests, vandalism and demolition of homes, bulldozing agricultural land, preventing farmers from accessing it, displacing Palestinians, and expanding settlements on their lands.

The West Bank has seen an escalation in Israeli incursions and arrests since the start of the genocide in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, while attacks by the Israeli army and settlers have resulted in the deaths of 1,182 Palestinians and the arrest of about 24,000, according to official Palestinian data.