Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday after Israeli settlers and soldiers opened fire, witnesses said, while in Gaza health officials said two Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said two Palestinians were killed and four others were wounded by Israeli settler gunfire in al-Mughayyir village near Ramallah. The Palestinian health ministry said the two killed were aged 14 and 32.
Amin Abu Ulaya, head of the local council, told Reuters that settlers and soldiers had entered the village and opened fire at a school, first against the students and later others who arrived at the scene.
The Israeli military said forces were deployed to the alMughayyir area after reports that stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle carrying civilians and a reserve soldier, who exited the car and opened fire at “suspects” in the area.
Upon arrival, soldiers worked to disperse what the military described as a violent confrontation.
The military said it was aware of claims that two Palestinians were killed and others were wounded, adding that the incident was under review.
“This led to the killing of a student and another person,” said Abu Ulaya, describing scenes of panic in the village as parents raced to the school in search of their children.
The shooting in al-Mughayyir, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) north of Ramallah, is the latest in what human rights groups have described as a surge in violence against Palestinians waged by Israeli settlers and soldiers.
Kathem Al-Haj-Ahmed, 57, an al-Mughayyir resident, said the settlers arrived first, attacking the village school. Palestinians in the West Bank are frequently subjected to unprovoked attacks perpetrated by Israeli Jewish settlers.
“This is our reality in al-Mughayyer village; they aim to displace us, and both the army and the settlers are exchanging roles among them,” he told Reuters.