Israeli Army Kills 2 Palestinians in West Bank Clashes

On early Monday, the Israeli army killed two Palestinians, including a member of an armed group, in clashes in a village in the occupied West Bank.

RELATED: 

35 Palestinians Injured by Israeli Soldiers in West Bank

The Israeli military said in a statement that the soldiers entered the Kufr Dan village, west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, to demolish the homes of two Palestinian "assailants" who killed an Israeli military officer in a firefight in September last year.

During the demolition, "a violent riot was instigated," as local Palestinians burned tires, shot live fire and hurled rocks, Molotov cocktails and explosive devices at the Israeli soldiers who shot back with live fire.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the victims as Samer Houshiyeh, 21, and Fouad Abed, 25, before the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed group affiliated with the Fatah ruling party, issued a statement saying Houshiyeh was a member of the group.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye condemned the killing, urging the United Nations members voting in favor of requesting a legal opinion from the International Court of Justice on the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories to take "immediate measures to protect the Palestinian people," the official WAFA news agency reported.

The incident was the latest in rising violence in the region, sparked by daily Israeli raids in the West Bank that often trigger clashes and lead to the killing of Palestinians.

At least 168 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the raids began in March, 2022. Israel claims that its raids are aimed at arresting suspects in a wave of attacks in Israeli cities that killed 19 people in the spring of 2022.