RAMALLAH: Israeli forces have killed two Palestinian teenagers during an overnight raid in a town near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, amid a surge in violence that has led to a rising death toll in the territory.
According to the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry, 16-year-old Sami Ibrahim Mashaikha and 18-year-old Amr Khaled Al-Marboua were shot in Kfar Aqab and later died from their injuries.
The Palestinian WAFA news agency reported on Friday that Israeli forces entered Kfar Aqab overnight, positioning personnel in the streets and on rooftops before opening fire.
Although the October 10 ceasefire has largely halted fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, violence in the West Bank has continued to escalate.
Palestinians have faced tightening military restrictions over the past two years, curbing their freedom of movement. Attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers have also escalated.
Overnight, settlers attacked communities near Nablus, setting fire to properties in Hawara and Abu Falah, residents there said.
The Israeli military said troops were dispatched overnight after reports that Israeli civilians had thrown rocks at Palestinian vehicles and set fire to property in the Hawara area.
According to a military statement, soldiers searched the area but did not locate any suspects.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he would convene cabinet ministers to ensure that Israelis involved in attacks on Palestinians are held accountable, describing those responsible as a “small, extremist group.”
In recent months, widely circulated videos on social media have shown groups of settlers — some carrying wooden clubs and, at times, firearms — assaulting Palestinian communities across the West Bank.
