WEST BANK, Occupied Palestinian Territories: At least three Palestinians were killed on Monday in the occupied West Bank territory in two separate clashes with the Israeli army, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Two Palestinians in their 20s were killed in an Israeli army operation in Dura, in the southern West Bank, according to the witnesses. They described seeing young Palestinians throwing stones and hearing gunshots.
“All of a sudden, soldiers arrived in our town and started shooting at people without any prior warning,” Mohammed Rabaei, head of Dura hospital, told the media.
The Palestinian health ministry further said that nine people were wounded in the violence, including four in a critical condition. The Israeli army said a crowd of around 100 “hurled Molotov cocktails and blocks at the forces” and added soldiers opened fire and one of those who had thrown a petrol bomb was killed.
Another Palestinian was killed further north in Tulkarem province, said the health ministry.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on October 7, the occupied territory has experienced a level of violence not seen since the Second Intifada, between 2000 and 2005.
Israeli army raids and attacks by settlers have killed at least 346 people in the West Bank since Oct 7 alst year.
READ ALSO: Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 24,100 as Israel Continues Relentless Bombardment
Separately, Israeli army arrested students at a university in the occupied West Bank in an early morning raid on Monday because of their alleged support for Hamas, said sources on both sides.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, more than 520 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank in 2023.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, now home to about 3m Palestinians, since the Six-Day War of 1967.
With the exception of annexed East Jerusalem, the territory is now home to approximately 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements considered illegal under international law.
