Six Israeli individuals were recently detained for assaulting soldiers near a West Bank town where clashes with Palestinians had erupted earlier in the week. The arrests took place overnight Friday to Saturday, the military confirmed.

Soldiers arrived at a gathering of Israelis near Kafr Malik to disperse the crowd. The military reported that "dozens of Israeli civilians hurled stones toward them and physically and verbally assaulted the soldiers, including the Battalion Commander."

The situation escalated as the civilians also vandalized and damaged security forces' vehicles and even "attempted to ram the security forces." Following the incident, the six Israelis were apprehended and transferred to the Israel Police for further processing.

The Israeli military did not confirm if those arrested were residents of Israeli settlements, referring inquiries to the police. This incident follows a separate event on Wednesday in Kafr Malik where the Palestinian health ministry reported three men died in an attack by settlers.

Palestinian officials alleged "official complicity" by Israel in Wednesday's attack, claiming Israeli forces hindered ambulance crews and civil defense, allowing fires to spread and destroy homes. The Israeli military stated its forces intervened after Israeli civilians set fire to property and a "confrontation" ensued.

A military spokesman noted that during Wednesday's incident, "several terrorists fired from within Kafr Malik and hurled rocks at the forces," leading soldiers to open fire. Five Israelis were also arrested in connection with that earlier clash.

Source: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2606152