West Bank: 2 Palestinians killed in shootings

Two Palestinians were killed in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank on Friday, with Israeli forces shooting a 58-year-old man in Jenin and Palestinian officials saying settler gunfire killed a 17-year-old near Hebron.

In Jenin, the Palestinian health ministry said Fathi Zidan Hazem died from injuries after being shot by Israeli forces early Friday and said Israel was withholding his body.

The Israeli military said a “terrorist armed with a knife” attempted to stab an Israeli soldier while troops were operating in the Jenin area. It said soldiers fired at him and that no troops were injured.

A Palestinian eyewitness told AFP that Israeli forces raided a neighbour's house early Friday and told Hazem to raise his hands, which he refused to do. She said he then attacked them with a knife and was shot several times in front of his 10-year-old son.

Hazem was a retired colonel in the Palestinian National Security Forces. His son Raad Hazem killed three Israelis and wounded several others in a Tel Aviv shooting in April 2022 before being shot dead by Israeli forces after a manhunt. Another son, Abdul Rahman Hazem, was killed during an Israeli military raid targeting alleged militants in the Jenin refugee camp in September 2022.

In Sair, near Hebron in the southern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said 17-year-old Karim Sanad Raja Shalaldeh was killed by settler gunfire during an attack. A family member and a medical source at Al-Mezan Hospital in Hebron confirmed his death.

Palestinian official news agency Wafa said the attack also injured a 70-year-old man.

The Israeli military said troops were sent to the area after a report that Palestinians had thrown rocks at Israeli civilians who were there without advance authorisation. It said Israeli civilians were injured by the rock throwing.

The military said a security official opened fire and that Palestinian casualties resulted. It told AFP the security official was a member of a rapid response security squad for a West Bank settlement. The military said soldiers dispersed the confrontation and removed the Israeli civilians from the area.

Violence in the West Bank has surged since the Gaza war began with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Palestinian figures say at least 1,099 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers since then. Official Israeli data shows at least 48 Israelis, civilians and security personnel, have been killed in attacks by Palestinians or during Israeli military operations.