A Palestinian man was killed during an apparent extremist settler attack on Wednesday in the West Bank town of Deir Dibwan, near Ramallah.
The victim was identified as Odeh Awawdeh, 29, according to the Palestinian Authority’s official Wafa news site.
According to Wafa, a group of armed settlers approached the town, leading to a confrontation with locals who came to fend off the attackers.
At least one of the settlers reportedly opened fire on the Palestinians, striking Awawdeh in the back. He was rushed to the hospital, but doctors were forced to declare his death shortly after his arrival.
Other local reports said Israeli troops then used riot dispersal measures to break up a clash between the settlers and the Palestinians, which only targeted the latter and also included the use of live fire.
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The Israeli military later confirmed settlers raided the town, saying that its forces were dispatched to the area following reports of settlers entering the village.
Şehit Ödete Awad Shibli’nin (26 yaşında) fotoğrafı, Ramallah’ın doğusundaki Deir Dibwan kasabasına yapılan saldırı sırasında yerleşimcilerin ateşiyle öldürüldü. pic.twitter.com/wD4WMoel4y
— ????İ????????????İŞ ???????????????? (@mescidi_aksamm) April 22, 2026
The Israel Defense Forces said it was aware of reports that a Palestinian was killed by gunfire, though a military official clarified that troops did not fire any shots at the locals, effectively acknowledging that an Israeli civilian was responsible.
Footage showed soldiers marching roughly 30 detained Palestinians out of the village after the deadly incident, releasing them shortly thereafter. It was not clear what they had been suspected of.
Following the Israeli settler pogrom in the village of Deir Dibwan — in which a 29-year-old Palestinian man was murdered — the Israeli army arrived and, instead of arresting the settlers, carried out a mass detention of Palestinian men from the village. pic.twitter.com/Nkk2pV8KTZ
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) April 22, 2026
The IDF added that troops managed to extract the settlers from the village and transferred them to the nearest Israel Police station. It also cautioned Israeli civilians against entering Palestinian villages without first coordinating with authorities.
Police in a separate statement said officers detained several Israeli suspects for questioning, but did not specify whether they were actually booked afterward. It added that it launched an investigation into the incident.
Critics accuse the government of turning a blind eye to the phenomenon or even of actively supporting those behind such attacks, which have become increasingly deadly in recent years.
Arrests in such cases of settler violence are rare, and convictions are even less common, even though these attacks take place on a daily basis.
People clash with Israeli border police in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
The deadly incident in Deir Dibwan came some 12 hours after extremist settlers set fire to a home and two cars in the northern West Bank village of Beit Imrin overnight into Wednesday, injuring eight people, according to Palestinian reports.
The Israel Police later said an investigation had been launched.
The attacks came a day after a settler reservist shot dead two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old boy, in nearby al-Mughayyir. The reservist was suspended from duty and an investigation has been opened.
Settler attacks in the West Bank have accelerated during the war with Iran that began on February 28 and entered a truce on April 8. During that time, the left-wing Yesh Din human rights organization recorded 378 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank.
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