IDF probe says too few troops responded to Tell gunfight, unclear who fired shot that killed Benayahu Mellet

An investigation by the Israel Defense Forces into last month’s deadly clash in the West Bank village of Tell has found that the hike by Israeli settlers in the area was not coordinated or approved by the army, and that officers did not respond to an ensuing clash with Palestinians with sufficient manpower.

According to the probe, the military learned of the July 24 hike the night before it took place but was unable to obtain details on the route or the organizers.

A military official says the hike would not have been approved anyway due to its route through areas A and B of the West Bank, including in a Palestinian village.

The hike began at 5:30 a.m., with dozens of settlers, including minors and two off-duty soldiers, setting off from Har Bracha. IDF surveillance soldiers first spotted the Israelis walking inside Area B near Tell at 7:27 a.m., and dispatched a small number of troops to escort the settlers out.

As the troops arrived, Palestinians hurled stones at the Israeli civilians, injuring one. The soldiers split up, with some dealing with the wounded Israeli, while a platoon commander worked to push back the Palestinians.

A short while later, Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, began heading to the scene, while also dispatching the security coordinator for the nearby outpost of Havat Gilad and his deputy, civil defense squad member Benayahu Mellet, 32.

The three arrived at the scene at around the same time, as the clashes between the Israelis and Palestinians spun out of control.

At around 8:16 a.m., the security coordinator and Mellet engaged in a physical confrontation with the Palestinians, during which the security coordinator was seen in footage taking his gun off his shoulder to push the Palestinians back.

The security coordinator’s gun was snatched out of his hands by several Palestinians and then picked up by Tell resident Farouk Ramadan, who opened fire on the Israelis.

Amid the chaos, which lasted around 90 seconds, Ezra, Mellet, the security coordinator, the platoon commander, and the two off-duty soldiers — one of whom is a reservist — opened fire back at the Palestinians. The coordinator had fired with his handgun after his rifle was stolen.

According to the probe, Ezra was shot in the head by Ramadan and killed, while Ramadan was fatally wounded by a shot from Ezra.

Mellet, who was also killed, may have also been shot by Ramadan, although the military believes he was possibly hit by one of the soldiers. Neither scenario can be probed because his body was buried without an autopsy.

The IDF says the platoon commander and two off-duty soldiers killed another three Palestinians. Two other Palestinians who were seriously wounded during the clash were captured by Israeli commandos at a hospital in Nablus hours after the incident.

The investigation also noted that the soldiers were authorized to use fire, but said the force that responded to the scene “was too small relative to the scale of the violent incident, the number of hikers, and the number of attackers.”

Forces in the area “did not act optimally to develop a complete situational picture, dispatch additional forces, and deploy medical teams as required,” the probe found.

The IDF says that the investigation also revealed a “serious failure” by the troops who left Mellet’s body at the scene “for many minutes.”