Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinian Teenagers Near Karmei Tzur

Overview

• Israeli forces opened fire near the Karmei Tzur settlement, which killed two Palestinian teenagers and wounded a third in an event reported on Monday.
• The Israel Defense Forces said troops shot at three people who were throwing firebombs and burning tyres, saying one was wounded and two were killed.
• Palestinian officials and the WAFA news agency identified the victims as aged 15 and 19, and the Palestinian Red Crescent said the hospitalized youth is 15; Reuters said it could not independently verify the military account.
• Local reports said the victims bled at the scene before their bodies were taken and withheld by Israeli forces, and Beit Ummar held a general strike to protest the deaths.
• The shooting fits a wider pattern of frequent Israeli raids, tighter movement restrictions near settlements and rising settler-related violence that U.N. data say has left dozens of Palestinians dead this year, a trend that may heighten unrest and complicate stalled ceasefire and aid talks.