Two Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in West Bank

Two Palestinians were killed Friday by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The ministry announced the death of Imad Abu Rashid, 47, who "was killed by the Israeli occupation, after being shot in the abdomen, chest and head".

In a later statement, it announced the death of Ramzi Sami Zabara, 35, "from a critical wound by the occupation bullets in the heart, in Nablus".

The Israeli army claimed in a statement it had received information "regarding a shooting attack from a moving vehicle" on a military target near Nablus.

"Soldiers conducting routine activity in the area identified two suspicious vehicles and responded with live fire towards them, hits were identified," it added, without specifying whether any fatalities had occurred.

Local sources told AFP that the two men, who hailed from Askar camp near Nablus, were members of the Palestinian Security Forces and were killed during an armed clash with the Israeli army at Huwara, south of Nablus.

The incident is the latest in a deadly week in Nablus, where Israeli forces have conducted regular raids and imposed tight restrictions on movement.

On Tuesday, five Palestinians were killed in a deadly assault in the city targeting "The Lions' Den", a loose coalition of fighters which emerged to resist deadly Israeli raids on Nablus and the northern West Bank.

Over 140 Palestinians have been killed in 2022 by Israel in ongoing raids in the West Bank, as well as an assault on Gaza in June, making it the most deadly year for Palestinians since 2015.