2 Palestinians shot dead by Israeli army fire in southern West Bank

By Aysar Alais, Said Amori and Rania Abu Shamala

RAMALLAH/ JERUSALEM/ ISTANBUL (AA) – Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the West Bank on Saturday for allegedly planning a car attack, the military said.

A military statement said that the two accelerated their vehicle toward army soldiers during an operational activity at a security checkpoint in Hebron in the southern West Bank.

Israeli forces opened fire on the two Palestinians, killing them instantly, the army said.

No injuries were reported among Israeli soldiers.

According to the Palestinian official news agency Wafa, Israeli forces deployed in central Hebron opened fire on a vehicle carrying civilians in the Bab a-Zawiya area and prevented Red Crescent ambulances from reaching the scene.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said that Israeli forces prevented its teams from reaching a vehicle that was fired upon in the Bab a-Zawiya area in Hebron.

At least 1,088 Palestinians have been killed and 10,700 others injured in attacks by the army and illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied territory since October 2023. Over 20,500 people have also been arrested.

In a landmark opinion in July last year, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.