Israeli forces have killed two Palestinian teenagers in separate incidents in Hebron and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli army said 17-year-old Muhannad al-Zughair was shot dead in the Abu Daajan area of Hebron after what it claimed was a ramming attack that injured two soldiers.
Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah, said, “We do not know whether that attack occurred because no investigation has been launched.”
“The teenager was injured and fled towards Hebron. He was later found and killed inside a car. The body is now being withheld by Israeli forces in what is now standard operating procedure.”
Meanwhile, in the north of Ramallah, 18-year-old Muhammad Asmar was killed near the village of Umm Safa. Odeh added that the alleged assailant was “held by soldiers and was then shot while on the ground and left to bleed for hours”.
In a statement, the Israeli army said it had killed a Palestinian who “had begun to stab soldiers near the settlement”. According to the Magen David Adom ambulance service, two Israelis were lightly wounded.
Hamas praised what it called a “heroic stabbing operation”, saying the attack “is a natural response to the crimes of the [Israeli] occupation, and a clear message that its attempts to break the will of our people through military operations, daily killings, arrests, and field executions will not succeed”.
Across the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have continued to carry out raids. Troops stormed the vicinity of three hospitals in Hebron and demolished two apartments in al-Walaja village, west of Bethlehem.
Israeli settlers also attacked Burqa village northwest of Nablus, setting fire to a tractor and attempting to torch a vehicle, while others sprayed graffiti on a home.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. The International Court of Justice reaffirmed last year that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and must end.
Journalist killed in Gaza drone strike
Meanwhile, Israel has continued its attacks in Gaza, where an Israeli drone strike in central Khan Younis killed Palestinian photojournalist Mahmoud Wadi.
The Wafa news agency reported that journalist Muhammad Abdel Fattah Aslih was also wounded in the same attack.
Aslih is the brother of Hassan Aslih, a photographer killed in a drone strike on Nasser Hospital in May.
