Two Palestinians killed by Israeli troops in West Bank

Two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli soldiers overnight Wednesday close to a religious site in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Raid Hamdan, 21, and Zaid Nouri, 20, died after being shot late Tuesday by Israeli troops near the Joseph Tomb's near the Palestinian city of Nablus.

The Israeli army claimed that explosives were hurled from a vehicle as Jewish worshippers visited the site late Tuesday.

"Troops responded with live fire towards the vehicle," he said, although there were no reports of injuries.

The site has long been a source of tension between Israelis and Palestinians.

Jews believe the site contains the remains of the biblical patriarch Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob.

Palestinian Muslims believe an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yusser (Joseph) Dweikat, was buried there two centuries ago.

It is located near a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, the territory occupied by Israel for more than 50 years.

The Israeli army regularly escorts groups of Jewish pilgrims to the site, often sparking clashes.