Israeli forces kill two Palestinians 'planning attacks' amid ongoing West Bank raids

Israeli forces killed two Palestinians on Friday night, saying that they were planning to carry out bombings in the occupied West Bank, where deadly Israeli raids and assaults have entered their fourth day.

At least 20 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Wednesday when the Israeli assault began, targeting homes, key infrastructure and hospitals.

Israel says it is carrying out "counterterrorism operations" and added that a vehicle explosion at a petrol station in the Gush Etzion Israeli settlement bloc was "an attempted car bombing by a terrorist" who was later killed.

The army added that an officer was "was moderately injured, and a reservist officer responsible for the security in a nearby community sustained minor injuries," in a statement.

In another incident, the head of security in the Israeli settlement of Karmei Zur engaged in a car chase with a Palestinian they said allegedly entered the settlement compound, leading to a collision.

A statement later said the Palestinian was "neutralised shortly after" and that during the confrontation, "an explosive device in the terrorist’s car detonated".

The raids which started on Wednesday have caused damage to homes and infrastructure across cities and town in the West Bank.

The UN humanitarian office OCHA said "Israeli forces have repurposed homes as military positions" and were "effectively besieging" several medical facilities.

Palestinian rights groups including Al-Haq, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights and The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights called on the international community to immediately intervene and enact measures against Israel to ensure international laws are being abided by.

The ongoing military operation is being described as the largest of its kind since 2002, marking a significant escalation while Israel’s war on Gaza rages on.

There has been an uptick in raids and violence on Palestinians and their property since the start of the war on Gaza on 7 October.

The UN said this week that since October 637 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, with an additional 10,000 others detained.