NABLUS, Palestinian Territories —
Israeli occupation forces killed two Palestinians
in separate shootings in the occupied West Bank Tuesday, the latest in a flurry
of violence as a US envoy tours the region seeking to ease tensions.
اضافة اعلان
Israeli troops killed a 16-year-old while carrying
out an arrest raid outside the northern city of Nablus, the
Palestinian health
ministry and Israeli forces said.
Separately, a Palestinian in his twenties was killed
in Qalandiya outside Jerusalem, the health ministry said.
Teenager Nader Haitham Rayan died in Balata camp
near
Nablus after being hit by bullets to the head, chest, and hand, the
ministry said. It did not give further details on the circumstances of his
death.
The exchange of fire came as occupation forces were
leaving the camp after arresting a Palestinian accused of terrorism offences.
The Palestinian health ministry said another nine
people were wounded in the exchanges, one of them seriously.
An Israeli spokesperson stated that a Palestinian
“terrorist” had been killed.
“A terrorist fired at our troops who responded and
killed him,” the spokesman said.
The second death came in the town of Qalandiya on
the northern outskirts of Jerusalem. The town hosts the main checkpoint between
annexed
East Jerusalem and the northern West Bank.
Alaa Shaham, in
his twenties, was killed by a “live round to the head,” the ministry said.
Commenting on the Qalandia unrest, Israeli forces
said riots erupted when forces entered the area to arrest two people accused of
involvement in “terrorist activities”.
“Hundreds of rioters threw heavy objects from the roofs
of houses endangering Israeli forces” who fired in response, an Israeli
statement said, without mentioning the reported fatality.
Palestinian authorities said the two deaths brought
to 20 the number of Palestinians killed by
Israeli forces this year.
US visit
With violence flaring in the
West Bank, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Hady Amr was in the region
for a tour aimed in part at trying to “reduce tensions”, a US embassy
spokesperson said.
Amr is also seeking “to implement specific economic steps
that will improve lives,” the spokesperson added.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who opposes
Palestinian statehood, has ruled out formal peace talks with the Palestinians
during his tenure but has said he is committed to expanding economic opportunities
in the West Bank.
Israeli officials have said they are specifically
seeking to ease tensions ahead of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan, which
begins next month.
During Ramadan last year, following protests across
East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Israel began an 11-day war on Gaza.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met His Majesty
King Abdullah last week to discuss maintaining calm through Ramadan and the
Jewish holiday of Passover, which this year overlaps with the Muslim holy
month.
Read more Region and World
.jpg)
.jpg)
