The settlers' fault? IDF publishes investigation of attack by terrorist who seized weapon, killed 2 soldiers

Almost two weeks after terrorists killed two Israeli soldiers in a highly controversial incident near Nablus, in Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces published the findings of its investigation into the incident, which highlighted several failures on the part of the troops present on the scene.

“Alongside acts of exceptional bravery, significant operational and command failures were identified that require immediate lessons to be learned and implemented.”

“These included the arrival of the responding soldiers while numerically disadvantaged, deficiencies in the conduct of soldiers during the incident, and shortcomings in the medical evacuation process,” the investigation found.

Maj. Yuval Ezra and Cpt. (res.) Benayahu Mellet were killed when a terrorist opened fire with a weapon stolen from a security man. The security forces had responded to an alert after a large group of Israeli settlers was attacked by local residents after hiking into the village of Tell, in the greater Nablus area.

But in contrast to other terror attacks, there was significant criticism of the victims’ behavior, not just that of the terrorists.

The criticism can be categorized into ideological and practical objections and, this time, focused on the behavior of the large group of Israelis who had insisted on “hiking” in an uncoordinated manner, in an area that is forbidden for entry of Israelis, and into a village with whose residents there had already been significant tensions.

Many of the hikers were from nearby Havat Gilad, many of whose residents blame locals from Tell for a fire that destroyed large parts of the settlement several weeks ago.

Practical objections to settlers' conduct

On the more practical side, the military establishment has consistently opposed deliberately provocative actions by settler groups.

Senior military officials told Channel 12 News that there has lately been a pattern of settler groups organizing hikes without informing the army, entering Palestinian villages, including in Areas A, which are off-limits to Israelis per the Oslo Accords, while fully expecting violent clashes to develop.

When this predictably happens, they call the army for help – there have been dozens of such incidents in the last few weeks alone, the officials said.

From the settlers’ perspective, these hikes highlight, and aim to enshrine further, the right of every Jew to walk freely in every part of the Holy Land.

“This is an irresponsible act that unnecessarily endangers both the settlers and the soldiers,” one official said. “It diverts the forces from their primary mission – thwarting Palestinian terrorism.”

Families of the soldiers who are stretched thin to protect Israelis from the constant terror attacks in Judea and Samaria are also worried about every additional incident that puts their loved ones at risk.

The father of one of the soldiers of slain Maj. Ezra told Channel 12, “The situation in which soldiers are forced to risk their lives because of provocations and illegal, unauthorized activities by Israelis is absurd and serious.

"I know there is a great deal of frustration among the soldiers and commanders because of this, and I think it deserves public discussion and should also be brought before the senior IDF command.”

Ideological objections to settlers' conduct

On the ideological side, leftist politicians who often object to the very presence of settlers in Judea and Samaria, some of whom still support a two-state solution, appeared to blame the settlers even more than the terrorists for “starting” the clashes with provocations like the hike.

Online commentators also criticized the behavior of the soldiers at the scene as too aggressive, blaming them for provoking more violence.

Moshe Radman, who was recently elected to the ninth position on the slate of the far-left The Democrats Party, commented on Channel 12’s report by noting that “the only word missing here is [Jewish] terror. This is not about trips but about irresponsible attempts to generate violence and friction while endangering soldiers' lives and criminally harming Palestinians.”

On the morning after the incident, Israeli citizens “woke up to a morning with less security because the IDF moved more forces to extinguish the fires that the settlers are setting in the West Bank,” he argued.

In another post on 𝕏, he wrote sarcastically, “Jews can hike anywhere in the Land of Israel, including Areas A and B, which are not the Land of Israel, even if it endangers soldiers' lives and interferes with their operational activities.”

“I, of course, do not justify violence by either Palestinians or Jews,” he hastened to add, “but if there is one thing we should take away from this, it is the simple understanding that the farms and outposts are a burden, and that the far right is taking our sons and daughters hostage, endangering their lives, diverting forces from other sectors, lying, distorting, and inciting – anything is permissible on the way to their deranged messianic vision.”

Investigation of the incident

According to the IDF’s investigation, the military had indications but no concrete knowledge of the hike or its route, only spotting the group after it began walking. The hike passed illegally through Area A before entering deep into the village of Tell.

Stones were thrown and physical altercations developed. A quick-reaction force that had been dispatched after the group was spotted arrived quickly and tried to separate the sides, moving the settlers to the outskirts of the village, but getting separated in the process.

At this point, Company Commander Maj. Ezra, the Havat Gilad security coordinator and his deputy, Benayahu Mellet, arrived to help the small IDF force on the scene. However, the clashes escalated shortly after.

A Palestinian man seized the security coordinator's weapon and opened fire, triggering a gunfight lasting almost two minutes.

The terrorist and other locals were fighting five troops at the scene, including two active-duty soldiers on leave and a reservist, who were part of the hiking group. Four Palestinians were killed, and two others wounded.

Ezra, Mellet and the security coordinator “acted with exceptional courage to save civilian lives and engage the terrorists,” the investigation concluded.

The IDF noted that Mellet was hit by the terrorist, but also said it can’t determine whether he was also struck by friendly fire. His actions during the fight were described as “extraordinary bravery” and conduct worthy of special recognition, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir decided to promote him posthumously to the rank of Captain, since he had begun a reserve officers' course.

Regarding Ezra, the military strongly rejected criticism of his conduct, noting he dealt competently with an extremely chaotic and complex situation: “The rules of engagement were clear and enabled the soldiers to employ fire as necessary to remove the threat.”

However, the investigation highlighted several failures. Zamir stated that he sees the participation of the two IDF soldiers in the unauthorized hike “with great severity.”

The investigation also found that “the military force that arrived at the scene was too small relative to the scale of the violent incident, the number of hikers, and the number of attackers.”

“Additionally, other soldiers operating in the area did not act optimally to establish a comprehensive operational picture, dispatch reinforcements, or deploy medical teams as required.”

Another failure occurred during the evacuation of the wounded, as Mellet “remained wounded on the ground for an extended period of several minutes, receiving treatment from a civilian medic without the presence of soldiers.” The soldiers on the scene didn’t immediately notice that there was another casualty at the location, according to media reports.

Zamir concluded the investigation by emphasizing that “This was a grave terrorist attack in which we lost two outstanding troops – one a member of a local emergency response team who engaged the enemy, and the other an exemplary company commander who charged forward with exceptional courage.”

“IDF troops have the duty to protect Israeli civilians everywhere and at all times. Yuval and Benayahu engaged the enemy, demonstrated exceptional combat capability, and prevented a far more serious attack on the hikers. We will continue to investigate every incident professionally in order to improve and strengthen our readiness. This is how the IDF operates, and this is how we will continue to operate.”