Two Palestinians shot dead by Israel forces in West Bank raid: Palestinian ministry

JERUSALEM (AFP): Two Palestinians were shot dead Monday by Israeli forces during an operation near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The ministry was informed of the “martyrdom of two citizens, after the occupation opened fire on them, near Jalazun refugee camp,” it said in a statement. Details on their identities were not immediately available.

The Israeli army meanwhile said it had “neutralised” two “suspects” after they “attempted to carry out a ramming attack against IDF soldiers”.

It came a day after several Israelis, including one soldier, were injured in a spate of security incidents across the West Bank, raising tensions.

The army also said it had arrested 16 people during overnight raids across the West Bank.

On Wednesday, four Palestinians were killed in the northern city of Jenin following a raid in which Israel said it targeted “two suspects involved in a number of recent shooting attacks”.

Since March, Israel has launched hundreds of operations in the West Bank in pursuit of alleged militants, often concentrated in Jenin and nearby Nablus.

The raids have sparked clashes that have killed dozens of Palestinians, including fighters.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967 but parts of the territory are nominally controlled by the Palestinian Authority, in accordance with terms set out in the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords.