IDF investigating as Palestinian man shot dead in southern West Bank

The Israel Defense Forces launched an investigation after a Palestinian man was shot dead in the southern West Bank on Saturday, amid an escalation in violence in the territory following the outbreak of the war in Iran.

According to the Palestinian Authority, Amir Shenaran, 27, was shot dead by a settler in the Palestinian village of Wadi al-Rakhim, in the collection of hamlets known as Masafer Yatta.

Palestinian media reported that his 33-year-old brother was critically wounded by settler gunfire in the same incident, while their father and uncle, as well as another woman, were reportedly hospitalized after being beaten by the settlers. The Palestinian reports said the brothers were shot while trying to fend off settlers who brought livestock to graze near the brothers’ family home.

But the IDF Military Police said a preliminary investigation had found that the shooter was a reservist soldier who arrived on the scene after being alerted to the confrontations between Palestinians and settlers.

According to the IDF, troops and police officers were dispatched to a Palestinian village in the Masafer Yatta area “following a report of a violent confrontation between Israeli civilians and several Palestinians, in which several individuals were injured.”

“It is known that two Palestinians were hit by gunfire, and later one of them died of his wounds,” the army said.

Footage from the aftermath of the shooting showed a man in an IDF uniform wielding an assault rifle and standing over the slain man.

Military police opened an investigation into the incident, the findings of which will be submitted to the Military Advocate General for review, the IDF said. The Israel Police also launched an investigation and collected findings at the scene.

لحظة استشهاد الشاب أمير شناران، وإصابة آخر برصاص المستوطنين في منطقة "واد الرخيم" جنوب يطا قرب الخليل. pic.twitter.com/LsrOoo5sTK

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 7, 2026

Masafer Yatta is among the sites where Palestinians have been increasingly displaced by settler violence that has risen sharply since the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, according to the United Nations. Instances of settler violence are reported on a near-daily basis but rarely prosecuted.

Israeli human rights group Yesh Din has reported a spike in settler violence amid the war in Iran that began on February 28, with some 50 incidents recorded in the first four days of the conflict.

Shenaran’s death raised to four the number of Palestinians reportedly killed by settlers this year, and to 40 the number killed since the October 7 attack, according to WAFA.

He was the third Palestinian said to be killed by settlers since the beginning of the war with Iran, after two brothers were shot dead in the northern West Bank’s Qaryut on Monday, according to WAFA.

The IDF said Tuesday that it was investigating that incident as well, probing an IDF reservist suspected of committing the shooting. Israeli forces also dismantled an illegal Jewish outpost near Qaryut overnight Wednesday-Thursday, citing “violent incidents” that had originated in the area.

The reservist suspected in the Qaryut shooting is a member of one of the IDF’s so-called area defense forces, known by the Hebrew acronym Hagmar. Dozens of soldiers from such units, which comprise local settlers serving in reserve duty, have been dismissed for violations, including attacks on Palestinians.

Reuters contributed to this report.