A violent conflict broke out Wednesday between Palestinian Authority (PA) Arabs from the PA town of Qusra near Shechem (Nablus) and residents of the new Israeli village of Eish Kodesh.
Masked "hilltop youth" driving an ATV were spotted entering the town, carrying firearms and clubs. In the days since the Hamas invasion, multiple groups of "hilltop youth" have published pictures of themselves brandishing weapons and threatening '"limitless vengeance" against Arab towns.
During the course of the confrontation, four Arabs were killed. Israeli security forces arrived to separate the parties and ensure that all Israelis had safely left the town. As a result, multiple disturbances of the peace began throughout Samaria.
A funeral procession was planned through major roads in Samaria, leading to widespread outrage among the Israeli residents of the region. Israeli communities in Samaria declared they would arrange protests to block the roads the procession was scheduled to use.
Samaria residents carrying flags, protest signs, and firearms formed roadblocks at a number of highway junctions the procession was scheduled to use. Security forces have diverted the procession to use alternate routes through Area A, and fired crowd-control munitions at Israeli citizens who blocked traffic.
Violent altercations have been reported at the entrances to Palestinian towns in the area as Israeli forces work to secure the route. Two Palestinians were killed at one point of conflict. Israeli security forces later blocked the procession, and allowed only the ambulance carrying the bodies to proceed.