Tel Aviv: Palestinian officials claimed that two Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire during an early-morning raid in the occupied West Bank.
The men allegedly tried to ram their car into soldiers, according to the military, but this claim could not be independently verified. Palestinians, who have been subject to a 55-year military occupation with no end in sight, frequently accuse Israeli troops of using excessive force against them. Israel claims it adheres to strict rules of engagement and only fires when it is necessary to protect lives.
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According to the military, the two Palestinians allegedly attempted to run over soldiers with their car while soldiers were trying to arrest a suspect in the Jalazone refugee camp close to the city of Ramallah. According to the military, the soldiers started shooting at the car.
According to the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority, which coordinates with Israel on civil matters, the two men were shot and killed by the military. They had not yet revealed who they were.
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Since the spring, when a string of Palestinian attacks against Israelis resulted in the deaths of 19, Israel has been conducting nightly arrest raids in the West Bank. According to Israel, its operations are meant to destroy militant infrastructure and stop further attacks. The nightly incursions into the Palestinians' cities, villages, and towns are seen by them as a means by which Israel is escalating its occupation of the lands they want for their future state.
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About 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli raids this year, making it the deadliest since 2016. Israel claims that the majority of those killed were militants, but some civilians and local youths protesting the incursions were also killed in the violence. Numerous those arrested have been placed in what is known as administrative detention, which permits Israel to hold them without trial or charge.
There are now more Palestinian shooting attacks against Israelis as a result of the raids, which have heightened tensions in the West Bank. They have also highlighted the growing disenchantment among young Palestinians with regard to the close security coordination between Israel and the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority, who cooperate to capture militants.
Israel took control of the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East conflict, and today, 500,000 Jewish settlers coexist with nearly 3 Palestinians in 130 settlements and other outposts. Along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians desire that territory for their future state.