Israeli forces exchanged gunfire with some Palestinians barricaded in a house in the West Bank on Sunday, killing two people, according to Israeli police and a militant group.
Israeli authorities said only that armed Palestinians were killed during the hours-long pre-dawn clash in the city of Nablus.
The Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades militant group said there were two Palestinians killed in the house and that they were members of it.
Police said no Israeli forces were injured.
The two men killed were identified as Aboud Sobh, 29, and Muhammad Al-Azizi, 22, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, a humanitarian organization.
Six other people were wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
A neighbor recalled hearing gunshots from inside the house before the Israelis opened fire.
Palestinian mourners carry the body of Aboud Sobh.Majdi Mohammed/AP Palestinian mourners carry the body of Muhammad Al-Azizi.Majdi Mohammed/AP
“They were calling a person’s name, asking him to surrender,” said 60-year-old Naser Estitya.
Part of the wall on the top floor of the house had been badly damaged, images from the scene revealed.
“Another crime committed by the occupation forces in the old city of #Nablus, where martyrs and many wounded have fallen,” Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, wrote in a tweet. “We strongly condemn this crime and maintain the occupation [responsible] for its repercussions”.
A neighbor recalled hearing gunshots from inside the house. Majdi Mohammed/AP
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the suspects were wanted for a series of shootings.
“We will not sit back and wait for Israeli citizens to be harmed,” he said during a meeting of his cabinet. “We’re going to hurt the terrorists at home.”
A representative of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the violence, saying it was the result of Israel’s continued occupation of areas that Palestinians want as part of an independent state.
Aboud Sobh and Muhammad Al-Azizi barricaded themselves in the house as they exchanged fire with Israeli forces. Majdi Mohammed/AP Six others were injured in the clash. Majdi Mohammed/AP
“The region will remain in a cycle of violence until the occupation ends and a just peace is achieved,” said the representative, Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
The Israeli military said a violent protest broke out as troops were operating in Nablus. Protesters threw explosive devices at the soldiers and opened fire on them, Israel said. The soldiers returned fire, the military said.
The army said it was also operating in a separate area of the West Bank, where another exchange of gunfire took place.
In recent months, Israeli forces have carried out frequent incursions into the occupied West Bank. Majdi Mohammed/AP
In recent months, Israeli forces have carried out frequent incursions into the occupied West Bank, which they described as an attempt to end a series of street attacks by Palestinians against Israelis.
Israel has faced armed resistance during some of these operations, some of which have turned deadly.
Palestinian attacks on Israelis earlier this year killed 19 people, while more than 60 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of 2022, according to an official Palestinian count.
A representative of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Sunday’s violence, saying it was the result of Israel’s continued occupation.Majdi Mohammed/AP
Many Palestinians want the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured during the Six-Day War in 1967, for their own state.
US-led peace talks to establish a Palestinian state in these areas broke down in 2014 and have not been revived since.
With post cables