2 more Palestinians killed by Israeli army gunfire in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli army gunfire in the city of Qalqilya in northern West Bank on Monday.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said it was informed by the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs “of the death of two young men killed by Israeli occupation bullets, and that their bodies were held during the aggression against Qalqilya.”

The ministry stated that the death toll in the West Bank since the beginning of the year has risen to 464, including 256 killed since October 7. Some 3,100 others have been injured.

According to eyewitnesses, Israeli army forces on Monday conducted incursions in Qalqilya and Jenin cities, leading to clashes with Palestinians.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7, followed by air and ground offensive in Gaza by Israel.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli settlers shot and wounded at least two Palestinian children in the village of Deir Qaddis, west of the city of Ramallah in the West Bank.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that settlers stormed the Al-Muhallal area in the village and opened fire on residents, wounding two children aged 12 and 14. It said one was shot in the foot and the other in the thigh, adding they were transferred to a hospital.

“Ambulance crews treated two injured people who were later transferred to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah to complete treatment,” Raed Al-Khatib, head of the West Ramallah Emergency Center, told Anadolu.

“Both were injuries caused major lacerations. However, their conditions are now stable,” he added.

According to data from Israeli Peace Now, a rights group that advocates peace between Palestinians and Israelis, there are around 694,000 illegal Israeli settlers, 145 illegal settlements and 140 random settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.