On July 24, 2026, Haaretz reported in both English and Hebrew on that day’s fatal clash in the area of the village of Tell near Havat Gilad, in which Israelis Benayahu Mellet and Major Yuval Ezra were killed along with four Palestinians under circumstances which are still partially murky (“Two Israelis, Four Palestinians Killed in West Bank Clash After Settlers Enter Palestinian Town”). Haaretz’s Jack Khoury, Matan Golan and Jonathan Lis reported:
According to the IDF, armed settlers had entered the town of Tell – which straddles Areas A, B and C of the West Bank – for a “hike” without the required military approval to enter Area A or B, when they encountered Palestinians near the town’s mosque who attacked them.
A screenshot of the July 24 deadly clash (X account of Haim Goldich)
However, contrary to the Haaretz‘s assertion that the Israel Defense Forces said that the group entered the village of Tell, official IDF Spokesperson Unit statements that day repeatedly identified the group’s location as near, but not in, the village, citing “the area adjacent to the village of Tell,” “the area of the village of Tell,” and Israeli citizens who “were hiking in the area.“
In addition, according to other detailed Hebrew reports by Israeli reporters who are also briefed by the army, the initial military investigation found that the Israelis reached the outskirts of the village of Tell near the mosque – and did not enter into the village.
If Haaretz has substantiation that the military’s assessment is wrong, its reporters are welcome to share it. But the claim that “according to the IDF, the settlers entered the village” is simply untrue.
CAMERA Hebrew contacted Haaretz editors alerting to the IDF’s actual wording, but as of this writing the media outlet has yet to correct.
Meanwhile, in its July 24 headline and article, Times of Israel initially characterized the group’s approach towards Tell as no less than a “raid”(“2 Israelis, 4 Palestinians killed in gunfight sparked by settler raid of Palestinian town“). The article’s first paragraph reported:
Two Israelis and four Palestinians were killed on Friday after a Palestinian snatched a weapon from a group of settlers who had raided a northern West Bank village and opened fire, leading to fears of reprisal attacks throughout the territory.
This description contradicts not only the IDF Spokesperson’s aforementioned statements, but also Emanuel Fabian’s own reporting in the very next paragraph which cited the “outskirts” of the village: “The incident began when a group of several dozen settlers entered the outskirts of the village of Tell on what they claimed was a hike.”
If the group was on the outskirts of the village, how can it be said that they “raided” the town?
Furthermore, the opening passage was unclear who “opened fire”: the Palestinian who snatched the weapon or the group of settlers “who had raided a northern West Bank village.”
In response to communication from CAMERA, Times of Israel commendably removed the emotive and inaccurate reference to a “raid.” The updated headline reads: “2 Israelis, 4 Palestinians killed in gunfight sparked by settler foray into Palestinian village.”
In addition, the amended first sentence states: “The incident began when a group of several dozen settlers entered the outskirts of the village of Tell on what they claimed was a hike.”
While the removal of the baseless reference to a settler “raid” is commendable, reporting that the group entered the village still stands at odds with the army’s information that they approached the outskirts of the village when a Palestinian group violently confronted them.
For the Hebrew version of this post, please see CAMERA Hebrew.
See also: Haaretz Corrects: Palestinian Grove Wasn’t Torched