JERUSALEM: On Tuesday, the Israeli military reported that it had shot and killed two Palestinians whom it accused of carrying out separate assaults on soldiers in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Authority identified the two as an 17-year-old and an 18-year-old.
The military said the first incident occurred Monday night near Hebron, in the southern West Bank, where a female soldier received minor injuries when she was hit in a car-ramming attack.
According to the army, troops chased the suspect and attempted to detain him. The statement said the attacker “attempted to flee while endangering the forces, who responded with live fire”, resulting in his death.
The Palestinian Authority reported that Israel informed them that the person killed was 17-year-old Muhannad Tariq Mohammed al-Zaghir from Hebron.
The military stated that the second attack happened close to Ramallah, in the central West Bank, which Israel has controlled since 1967.
Soldiers were sent to the area near the Ateret settlement after surveillance cameras in the vicinity “identified a suspect”, according to the army’s statement.
Israeli forces “approached him to conduct a security check”, during which “the terrorist stabbed two soldiers”. The army said “The soldiers responded with fire and eliminated the terrorist.”
According to the Palestinian Authority, Israel informed them that 18-year-old Mohammed Raslan Mahmoud Asmar was shot and killed by Israeli troops north of Ramallah.
Home demolitions
Also on Tuesday, the Israeli army announced it had demolished two houses in the northern West Bank belonging to Palestinians accused of being involved in separate attacks.
According to the military, one of the demolished houses in Nablus belonged to Abd al-Karim Sanoubar, who was accused of planning multiple bus bombings in February. Footage showed explosives blowing apart the residence.
The second home, located in Aqaba, was said to belong to Ayman Ghannam, who the military accused of participating in a deadly shooting attack in 2024. Aqaba’s mayor, Abdul-Razzaq Abu Ara, said that several arrests had taken place and that a curfew had been imposed.
Israel routinely demolishes the residences of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against Israelis. Authorities argue that these demolitions act as a deterrent, while critics condemn them as a form of collective punishment that leaves families without shelter.
Last week, the Israeli military said it had launched a new operation targeting Palestinian armed factions in the northern West Bank and had conducted initial raids in the agricultural town of Tubas near the Jordan River.
