The Palestinian Authority says two teenagers were shot dead by Israeli soldiers, who said they thwarted an ‘attack’

Violence has exploded since the start of the Gaza war in the West Bank, the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967 and where settlements illegal under international law are increasing.

Israeli soldiers killed two 15-year-old teenagers near Beit Omar, in the south of the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Authority on Thursday, November 13. The Israeli army claims to have killed two people “terrorists will carry out attacks”.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced it without further details “Martyrdom of Bilal Bahaa Ali Baaran (15 years) and Mohammad Mahmoud Abou Ayache (15 years) killed by occupation bullets (Israel)this afternoon (…) north of Hebron”a large city in the south of the West Bank, the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967. The Israeli army previously claimed that soldiers operating in the Karmei Tzur area, a Jewish colony neighboring the Palestinian village of Beit Omar, had carried out the attack. “eliminated two terrorists who were about to carry out an attack”.

On the same day, the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry accused Israeli settlers of burning down the Hajja Hamida Mosque in Dayr Istiya in the northern part of the West Bank. Asked by AFP, the Israeli army stated that security forces had been sent to the scene after receiving “information and images (…) regarding the suspect who burned the mosque and sprayed graffiti”but did not identify the suspect at the scene.

Violence has exploded in the region since the start of the Gaza war. At least 1,005 Palestinians, including many fighters as well as many civilians, were killed there by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian Authority. At the same time, according to official Israeli data, at least 36 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, were killed there in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military attacks.