In the occupied West Bank a shooting has left at least four Palestinians and two Israelis dead in the deadliest single incident there in months.

Accounts of the events in the northern village of Tal differ sharply. Palestinians told the BBC that residents moved to confront Jewish settlers who were assaulting them. An eyewitness reported that soldiers then reached the scene and opened fire.

Israel's military said it responded to reports of an attack on hikers. It stated that terrorists took the weapon from a security guard and killed him.

The military later confirmed that a soldier had also been killed but offered no further details. The IDF has not clarified who was responsible for the deaths of the other Palestinians.

The Israel Defense Forces says it is readying a major operation in the area and has suspended soldiers' leave.

Attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank have risen sharply since the Gaza war began following the Hamas-led assault on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Ahmed Zeidan an eyewitness told the BBC the incident started early when locals in Tal hurried to face roughly 30 settlers who were targeting Palestinian homes.

He described hand-to-hand clashes that occurred while Israeli soldiers were present.

Essam Saifi a local Fatah leader told Reuters that settlers began shooting before Israeli forces arrived and joined the gunfire.

He noted that two brothers and two cousins were among the dead. Palestinian officials reported several other Palestinians injured.

The IDF said Palestinians initiated the attack.

It explained that soldiers arrived in Tal after reports of an assault on Israeli civilians hiking nearby. A security guard from a nearby settler outpost reached the location but had his gun taken by a Palestinian who then used it against the Israelis killing the guard.

Soldiers then eliminated the attacker the IDF stated.

It later reported that a 27-year-old soldier died during operational activity near the village though the exact circumstances remain unclear.

The Israeli ambulance service confirmed two Israelis were also wounded.

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the incident in Tal in the strongest terms calling it a massacre.

It described the rise in settler violence as a direct result of protection political support and full impunity provided by the Israeli government and occupation forces.

Official Israeli incitement continues to encourage these crimes and creates conditions where settler violence occurs without accountability it added.

An AFP reporter at the site southwest of Nablus noted that roadblocks had been placed and troops were searching for more suspects.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to respond with full force against the terrorists and those who direct and support them.

He held an emergency meeting with security officials and additional forces were deployed to the area near the settlement of Havat Gilad.

Since October 2023 the UN reports that 1114 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank the large majority by the IDF. It notes at least 35 of those deaths involved settler attacks.

The UN states that 41 Israelis including civilians and security personnel have died in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the West Bank since the Gaza war began.

Israel has constructed about 160 settlements housing 700000 Jews since occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek these lands along with Gaza for a future state. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside the settlers. The settlements violate international law.