Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians on Thursday near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said, in what the Israeli military said was an attempted car ramming attack.

"Two terrorists attempted to carry out a combined ramming and shooting attack against IDF soldiers," the Israeli military said.

"The soldiers responded with fire and neutralized the terrorists. No IDF injuries were reported."

The Palestinian health ministry said the two men, aged 24 and 25, had been killed "by Israeli gunfire".

Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. It has continued despite the ceasefire.

Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,045 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures.

At least 45 Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.

(AFP and TNA staff)