The European Union and United Kingdom have demanded urgent action from Israel after a surge in violent settler attacks killed at least six Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in less than two weeks.

The spike in violence has unfolded alongside Israel’s widening war with Iran, raising fears that regional conflict is fuelling instability on the ground. Diplomats warned that failure to rein in settlers risks triggering a wider escalation across the already volatile territory.

Killing spree across villages

According to the United Nations, six Palestinians have been killed during settler assaults over the past 11 days.

In the village of Khirbet Abu Falah near Ramallah, witnesses said dozens of settlers stormed homes before dawn on Sunday. When residents tried to resist, armed men opened fire.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said two victims — Thaer Hamayel, 24, and his cousin Farea Hamayel, 57 — were shot in the head. Another man, Mohammed Murra, 55, died after inhaling tear gas during the confrontation.

More shootings deepen the crisis

The violence has spread across multiple Palestinian communities.

Near Susya in the South Hebron Hills, settlers allegedly shot dead 28-year-old Amir Shanaran and critically wounded his brother on farmland they owned. Days earlier, two brothers were killed during another attack on the village of Qaryut.

Israeli rights groups say the scale of incidents is staggering. Yesh Din recorded 109 separate cases of settler violence across 62 Palestinian communities in just the first 10 days of the Iran war.

Europe demands accountability

The EU called the level of violence “unacceptable”, warning that impunity risks fuelling further bloodshed.

Britain’s diplomatic mission in Jerusalem said it was “appalled” by the killings and urged the Israeli authorities to deliver swift investigations and prosecutions.

The Israel Defense Forces said troops were dispatched to several incidents and that criminal investigations had been opened.

A volatile territory on the brink

The West Bank has long been a flashpoint. Israel has built around 160 settlements housing roughly 700,000 Jews since capturing the territory during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Around 3.3 million Palestinians now live alongside them — a tense coexistence that has grown more fragile as the region slides deeper into war. European officials warn that unless violence is curbed quickly, the conflict could spiral far beyond the front lines.

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And nothing will be done about it.

Radical Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the north of the West Bank on Thursday, Israeli police said.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said the fire was brought under control before it could spread through the place of worship, meaning only the entrance area was damaged, and police said no one was injured.

The perpetrators also daubed racist slogans on the walls of the mosque, according to WAFA.

Israeli police said they were searching for the suspects and strongly condemned damage to religious institutions.

Radical Israeli settlers torch and vandalize West Bank mosque

There has also been an increase in violence by radical settlers against Palestinians. This is not the first time that a mosque has been targeted in such attacks.