Two Palestinian Militants Died, Israel Calls Responses To His Military Shooting In The West Bank

Illustration of Israeli soldiers. (Wikimedia Commons/Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Israeli forces killed two Palestinian insurgents on Friday, Palestinian sources said, in what the Israeli military said was a response to the shooting of their posts in the West Bank.

The Israeli military said its troops shot "two suspicious vehicles" after a passing car opened fire on one of its posts near the city of Nablus, which has been the center of a wave of violence in the West Bank over the past few months.

No soldiers were injured and "attacks were identified," the Israeli military statement said, adding that soldiers were launching a search to hunt down other suspects.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the people who died as Emad Abu Rasheed (47) and Ramzi Zabara (35), both from Askar refugee camps near Nablus. It said the third person was injured.

The al-Aqsa Brigade, the military wing of the Palestinian President's Fatah movement Mahmoud Abbas, claimed the two people who were killed were members.

Meanwhile, according to a Facebook post by the Palestinian Civil Guard, emergency services and rescue of the Palestinian Authority, the two men were also among his staff.

The Palestinian Authority, which runs its own limited government in the West Bank, is coordinating security with Israel. The Israeli military did not respond to questions about the man's affiliation with the Palestinian Civil Guard.

Separately, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the killings, saying Israel was fully responsible.

Friday's incident came about an hour after the military said it had removed several barriers blocking the movement into Nablus, which had been blockaded for days.

Earlier this week, the Israeli military cracked down on the militant group 'Den of Lions', which largely consisted of young men armed with Nablus with loose faction affiliates, killing three of its leaders.

It is known that violence is increasing in the West Bank ahead of the November 1 general election in Israel.

More than 100 Palestinians from the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces this year. Meanwhile, a series of fatal street attacks by Palestinians have killed 20 people in Israel and Israeli settlements.

Four members of Israel's security forces were also killed, including at least one by the Den of Lions, which Israel describes as a "terrorist" group.