2 Palestinians killed in Israeli army assaults in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Two Palestinians, a teenager and an elderly woman, were killed in separate incidents involving the Israeli army in the West Bank, Palestinian sources said on Thursday.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a brief statement that the General Authority for Civil Affairs had informed it of the killing of 15-year-old Murad Fawzi Abu Seifen by Israeli army gunfire in the town of Ya'bad, west of Jenin in the northern West Bank.

The ministry added that the Israeli army is still holding the boy's body.

Local sources told Xinhua that Israeli forces stormed Ya'bad and opened fire on Abu Seifen in one of the town's streets, hitting him with four bullets. The forces prevented Palestinian ambulance crews from reaching him, leaving him to bleed to death before seizing his body.

For its part, the Israeli army said in a press statement that a Palestinian had thrown an explosive device at its forces while they were operating in Ya'bad, prompting the soldiers to open fire and kill him.

The army added that there were no casualties among its troops.

In a separate incident, Palestinian medical sources in Ramallah said that 80-year-old Haniya Hanoun was killed after being assaulted by Israeli forces inside her home in the town of Al-Mazra'a Al-Gharbiya, near Ramallah in the central West Bank.

The sources said Hanoun died from severe injuries sustained after soldiers beat her during a raid on her house.

Israeli forces also detained her grandson before withdrawing from the area, according to the sources.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the incident.

Meanwhile, Palestinian security sources said Israeli forces detained more than 20 Palestinians in the early hours of Thursday in the towns of Beit Rima, Deir Ghassana, and Al-Mazra'a Al-Gharbiya, northwest of Ramallah.

The detainees were reportedly interrogated before most were released.

The West Bank has witnessed a sharp escalation of violence since Oct. 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of more than 950 Palestinians, hundreds of injuries, and the demolition of dozens of homes, according to Palestinian statistics. ■