By Awad Rjoob and Zein Khalil
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli army gunfire near the West Bank city of Hebron on Sunday, according to the Palestinian official news agency.
“Two Palestinian young men were shot dead by Israeli occupation forces this morning at the entrance of the village of Beit Hanoun, located northeast of Hebron in the occupied West Bank,” Wafa reported.
“Israeli forces fired live bullets intensively towards the two young men at the entrance of the town, resulting in direct injuries before the two were pronounced dead of their wounds later,” the agency said, adding that “ambulance crews were prevented from reaching them.”
The agency noted that the Israeli army is detaining the bodies of the two young men.
The Health Ministry identified the two Palestinians as Mohammad Majid Jabareen, 19, and Musa Mahmoud Jabareen, 18.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army claimed that the two Palestinians opened fire on soldiers.
In a statement, the Israeli army alleged that the two Palestinians arrived at the Beit Hanoun junction where one of them “tried to stab soldiers.”
“The forces responded by firing, and neutralized him,” it added.
It also claimed that the other Palestinian “opened fire at soldiers who responded by firing and neutralized him as well.”
However, footage circulated on social media showed the moment a young man was shot while he was hiding behind cement cubes.
The Israeli army sent reinforcements to the scene and began sweeping and searching Palestinian homes on the outskirts of the town of Sa'ir, close to the site of the incident.
On Sunday, the occupied West Bank is witnessing a comprehensive strike to protest Israel’s violent incursions into the Tulkarm city and the Nur Shams camp in the northern occupied territory.
At least 14 Palestinians were killed in Israeli military raids on the Nur Shams refugee camp, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Saturday.
Parallel to its onslaught on the Gaza Strip since Oct 7, the Israeli army has escalated raids and arrests in the West Bank, including the occupied Jerusalem.
The destructive offensive on Gaza has resulted in more than 34,000 deaths, most of them children and women, along with massive destruction and famine that has killed children and the elderly, according to Palestinian and international data.
Israel continues its war despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire. Tel Aviv is also facing charges of "genocide" before the International Court of Justice.
* Writing by Ikram Kouachi